Shoulder decisions — 2019

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to the need for additional examinations and opinions regarding his claimed disabilities. The appeals are not about service connection via a presumption, exposure to herbicide, or any other specific theory of entitlement.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for various conditions, including left and right shoulder conditions, arthritis of the spine, heart disease, hypertension, abdominal aortic aneurism, right leg edema, chronic gastritis, chronic diarrhea or enteritis, kidney injury, right leg cellulitis, and hyponatremia. Additional examination development is required to address causation and aggravation.

The Veteran's petition to reopen the previously denied claim for frostbite was granted. The claims for left shoulder, lower back, and left knee disabilities were denied due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete information regarding his periods of active duty, inactive duty training, and National Guard service. The Veteran is also advised that he must provide authorization for VA to obtain any private medical records relevant to his claims.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for fatigue, left shoulder disability, right lung mass, hypertension (HTN), abdominal pain, and bilateral hand and foot numbness due to alleged lead poisoning, exposure to Camp Lejeune contaminated water, and/or Agent Orange. Further development is needed to clarify the nature of these conditions and their etiology.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded due to procedural defects and the need for additional medical examinations.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted a 20% disability rating effective April 22, 2019. The issue of service connection for a bilateral shoulder condition is remanded.

The Veteran's appeal of entitlement to an earlier effective date for the grant of an increased rating for service-connected lumbar strain is dismissed.,Service connection for a left shoulder disability is denied as there is no evidence of chronic disease noted in service or within a presumptive period, and continuity of symptomatology has not been established since service. The Veteran's statements regarding onset are not credible.,Service connection on secondary basis for right and left knee conditions is denied because the preponderance of the evidence does not support finding that the current right and/or left knee disabilities are proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected lumbar strain.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and inextricably intertwined issues, including a TDIU claim. The Veteran's left shoulder disability is still being further developed on remand.

The Veteran's degenerative arthritis with intervertebral disc syndrome of the thoracolumbar spine, left shoulder degenerative joint disease, and bilateral foot disorder are all granted as service-connected.,The Veteran's sleep apnea is remanded for further review.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD was denied due to the lack of verified in-service stressors.,For his right shoulder traumatic arthritis, a rating in excess of 20 percent prior to November 23, 2015 and in excess of 40 percent since that date were both denied.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection for various shoulder and hand conditions, as well as a low back disorder due to the Veteran's death.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the Veteran's claims of service connection for right hip, left knee, and right shoulder disabilities. The case will be returned to the RO for further action.

The Veteran's claims for service connection of low back and right shoulder disabilities have been reopened, but the cases are still pending as they need further examination to determine if these conditions are related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for left and right shoulder disabilities due to inadequate examination findings and lack of opinion regarding periods of active duty, ACDUTRA, or INACDUTRA.

The Veteran's sleep apnea is secondary to his service-connected acquired psychiatric disability. The Board has granted service connection for sleep apnea on a secondary basis.

The Veteran's left ring finger disability is rated at 10 percent, effective prior to February 9, 2018. A separate rating for the right pectoralis major partial rupture with right shoulder impairment remains remanded as there are unclear issues regarding the pathology encompassed by the service-connected entity.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for various shoulder and hand conditions, as well as a low back condition due to procedural errors in the previous rating decision.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right foot condition and an increased rating for residuals of a right shoulder injury. The evidence did not support finding a nexus between any current disability and service, and the functional impairment of the Veteran’s right shoulder was found to be within normal limits.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to his service, but has remanded for further examination and opinion regarding his right shoulder and back conditions.