Shoulder decisions — 2019

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased rating of his lumbar spine disability, right shoulder impingement, and asthma due to lack of a VA examination. The Veteran is also entitled to an increased rating for his arthritis of the right ankle.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for right shoulder pain, joint pain, left leg disability, and migraine headache disabilities due to a lack of VA compensation examinations. The Veteran is required to undergo VA examinations in order to determine if he currently has any pain that results in functional loss with respect to his claimed disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for left shoulder, left knee, right knee, and back disabilities have been reopened.,Service connection has been granted for the Veteran's thoracolumbar back disability.

The Veteran's right shoulder disability, including arthritis and recurrent dislocation, is currently rated at 20 percent. The Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted as the evidence does not show limitation of motion to 25 degrees from the side or ankylosis.

The Board has remanded multiple claims for service connection and evaluations, including those related to the Veteran's left shoulder, low back, right shoulder, cervical spine, left leg, right leg, bilateral eye, sleep-related symptoms, prostate, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, migraine headaches, peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, and acquired psychiatric disabilities. The remand also includes a request for additional medical records from SSA and VA.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate VA medical opinions regarding the Veteran's claimed residuals of a DVT and subclavian vein occlusion, as secondary to his service-connected Hodgkin’s disease.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including low back pain, eye condition, kidney problems, left shoulder strain, right shoulder strain, right hand pain, and left heel pain. The decision also remanded cases involving bilateral hearing loss, trichomoniasis, scar of the right index finger, stress fracture of the left lower extremity, degenerative joint disease of the right knee, degenerative joint disease of the left knee, and residuals of a stress fracture of the left tibia.

The Board dismissed the appeals as the appellant withdrew his appeal with respect to reopening claims for various disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea was reopened, but the Board found that there is no evidence to support a finding of service connection. The claims for increased ratings for right shoulder disability and bilateral plantar fasciitis were remanded due to new information indicating worsening.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for a right wrist disability and an initial compensable rating for his left shoulder scar, finding that there was no evidence to support these claims.

The Veteran's lower back pain is granted service connection. The AOJ must obtain a new medical opinion for the remaining issues.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection of a right shoulder disability and denied the merits of the claim.

The Board denied service connection for a right shoulder condition and denied entitlement to special monthly pension based on need for aid and attendance or housebound status due to lack of evidence linking the current condition to service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for lumbar spine degenerative disc disease L4 to S1 with contact of left S1 nerve root and right knee chondromalacia have been remanded by the Board.,Further evaluation is needed to determine appropriate disability ratings for these conditions.

The Board denied all service connection claims, including those for hypertension, pulmonary or respiratory disability, cervical spine and lumbar spine disabilities, bilateral shoulder and knee disabilities, bilateral ankle disabilities, and drug dependency. The decision also remanded the claim for right ear hearing loss.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions have been denied. The Board found no new and material evidence to reopen the claims, and did not find any of the conditions were related to service.

The Veteran's initial disability rating for left shoulder rotator cuff impingement syndrome has been increased to 30 percent, effective from the date of receipt of his service connection claim (August 31, 2004).

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional examinations to assess the severity of his service-connected left knee and left shoulder disabilities.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and service connection were dismissed due to his failure to report for necessary VA examinations. Additionally, the Veteran withdrew his appeal on issues of hypertension and myofascial pain syndrome.

The Veteran's claims for higher initial ratings for left shoulder dislocation and osteoarthritis of the left knee are being remanded due to insufficient examination records.