Shoulder decisions — 2018

The Board denied service connection for a right shoulder disability, finding no evidence of injury or disease in service and no link between the current condition and any service-connected conditions.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral shoulder disabilities as there was no evidence of disease or injury incurred in line of duty during active service.

Service connection has been granted for left shoulder tendonitis, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, tinea versicolor, and PTSD with depressive features. The Veteran's claims of service connection for other conditions have been denied.,The effective date for the grant of service connection for tinea versicolor is May 14, 2002.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including bilateral shoulder condition, respiratory condition (COPD), left knee disability, lumbar spine disability, and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy. The reasons given were that the Veteran did not report symptoms related to these conditions until many years after service, and his work as a mason post-service was not considered strenuous enough to cause arthritis.

The Veteran's service-connected left and right shoulder strain disabilities are granted at a 20 percent rating, effective from the date of the claim. The Veteran's depressive disorder NOS is not rated higher than 50 percent.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including left shoulder disorder, right shoulder disorder, lung disorder, hypertension, liver disorder, GERD, and diabetes mellitus type II. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to military service.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims of service connection for shoulder pain, neck pain, and migraines due to incomplete medical records. The Veteran will need to provide updated treatment records from his private providers and undergo a VA examination.

The Board has denied reopening the claim for service connection for Tietze's syndrome due to lack of new and material evidence. The Veteran's other claims have been remanded for further development.

The Veteran's body aches in the bilateral wrists, shoulders, and knees are granted as they are part of a medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illness.,The Veteran's insomnia is granted as it is considered a symptom of his service-connected PTSD with major depressive disorder.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including epicondylitis of the left elbow, right shoulder tendonitis, degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, a left Achilles tendon rupture, mild fibrosis of the lung, residuals of cholecystectomy (gall bladder removal), Crohn's disease (irritable bowel syndrome), residuals of an emergency internal hemorrhoidectomy, colon cancer with polyp, and residuals of bile duct surgery. The Board found no evidence to support service connection for these conditions.,The Veteran claimed his conditions were due to radiation exposure during service, but the VA did not find any credible evidence supporting this claim.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and opinions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient development of his medical records and incomplete opinions from VA examiners. The claims will be reconsidered after additional evidence is obtained.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to secure or follow gainful employment prior to September 17, 2015.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of his claimed conditions. The Veteran needs VA examinations to determine if his current bunions, ganglion cyst, right shoulder condition, low back condition, pes planus, and sleep apnea are related to his military service.

The Veteran's sleep apnea is aggravated by his service-connected bilateral shoulder disability, and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The Board denied service connection for left wrist, right wrist, left elbow, right elbow, left shoulder, and right shoulder tendonitis and chronic muscle pain as the evidence did not support a current diagnosis of these conditions.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 50 percent since May 18, 2013. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a higher rating for PTSD and denies the claim. Other claims related to shoulder, elbow, back, and knee disabilities are remanded.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims, including left shoulder condition, right shoulder condition, left knee disorder, left elbow disorder, right elbow disorder, low back disorder, left hip disorder, and right hip disorder. Additional development is required due to incomplete records.

The Board has denied the Veteran's petition to reopen his claims for left shoulder and neck disabilities, but has remanded his claim for right elbow tendonitis due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating in excess of 20 percent for left shoulder strain has been dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeal.