Shoulder decisions — 2019

The Board has granted service connection for a right shoulder disability and also granted the reopening of the claim. The Veteran's current right shoulder condition is related to his military service.

The appeal regarding entitlement to service connection for a right ear condition is dismissed.,The appeal regarding entitlement to service connection for a left ear condition is dismissed.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his bilateral knee disabilities, left shoulder disability, and migraines due to new evidence submitted by the Veteran. The TDIU claim is also remanded as it is inextricably intertwined with the other issues.

The Veteran's recurrent right shoulder dislocation preexisted his entrance into active duty service and was aggravated by service. The claim for service connection is granted.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right shoulder disability, finding that there was no evidence linking his current condition to his active service. The VA examiner opined that the current right shoulder disability is not related to service.

The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of VA examination for the left shoulder condition and further development is needed.

The Board has remanded several issues for further development, including obtaining missing in-service medical records from Fort Jackson. The Veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions are pending and will be reconsidered after the additional evidence is obtained.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings on multiple service-connected conditions have been denied. The RO found that the evidence did not support higher disability ratings for his right shoulder, left and right knee disabilities, cervical spine condition, ankle disabilities, tinnitus, or scars.

The Veteran's initial disability ratings for left shoulder strain and multilevel degenerative changes of the cervical spine from September 23, 2014 have been granted. The issues related to right and left hip strains are being remanded.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further examination and evaluation of his right shoulder disability, left shoulder SFW residuals, and any related disorders. The claims are also remanded to determine the nature and etiology of any right upper extremity disorder.

The Board has granted service connection for right shoulder acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis, finding that it is related to the Veteran's service-connected left rotator cuff tendonitis.

The Board denied service connection for a cervical spine disorder and a bilateral shoulder condition, finding that the conditions did not clearly and unmistakably preexist active duty and were unrelated to service.

The Board has granted service connection for insomnia and remanded the issues of entitlement to a rating in excess of 20 percent for left shoulder disability and service connection for headaches.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus is granted, as the evidence supports a finding that he has experienced ringing in his ears since separation from service.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied because there is no evidence of a current disability or a diagnosis within one year of separation from service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and earlier effective dates have been denied. The Board found no new and material evidence to reopen the claim for a left shoulder disability, and determined that there was not sufficient evidence to establish an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for a left knee disability or for increased ratings.

The Veteran's application to reopen the claim for service connection for PTSD is granted. The claims for increased ratings of right shoulder disabilities are remanded.

The Board has dismissed all service connection claims due to the appellant's death.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and opinions regarding his low back, right knee, left shoulder, and gastrointestinal disabilities.

The Veteran's TDIU claim was granted with an effective date of April 6, 2012. However, the Board found that the effective date should be set at April 17, 2006 due to his combined disability rating reaching 60% on that date.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for a low back disability and remanded all other claims due to insufficient evidence in the previous examination.