Shoulder decisions — 2019

The Board denied service connection for multiple disabilities, including sleep apnea, right and left shoulder disabilities, a left and right wrist disability, a right ankle disability, and a right foot disability. The Board found that the evidence did not support these claims.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete records and need for further examination.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for degenerative joint disease of the left and right shoulders, as well as his claim for TDIU based on service-connected disabilities, are being remanded due to inadequate medical examination in the previous rating decisions.

The Veteran's appeal to reopen a claim of service connection for a right shoulder disability is granted. A 10 percent rating (but no higher) is granted for right foot hammertoe.

The Veteran's service connection claims for various musculoskeletal conditions, hearing loss, tinnitus, heart condition, Parkinson’s disease, and acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD, anxiety, depression) have all been denied as the evidence does not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by military service.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has determined that additional VA medical opinions are necessary to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete or inaccurate factual premises in previous VA examination reports.

The Veteran's knee and shoulder disabilities were not shown to be related to service, and his respiratory disorder is unrelated to service. Service connection for these conditions was denied.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal of 13 issues, including service connection claims for various conditions and disability ratings. The Board dismissed the appeal as a result.

The Veteran's current right ear hearing loss and tinnitus are service connected.,Service connection is also granted for left shoulder, right shoulder, left elbow, right elbow, bilateral wrist, left hip, and right hip disabilities. However, the Board has not provided a VA examination to determine whether these conditions are related to in-service motorcycle accident injuries.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inaccurate factual premise in a previous VA examination report, and needs additional medical opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's left shoulder disability and his service-connected conditions.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development to determine if the Veteran's left arm and shoulder disabilities are related to service or secondary to his service-connected left wrist ganglion cyst post aspiration.

The Veteran's service connection claim for a right shoulder disability and the initial rating claim for his right wrist disability are both remanded. The Veteran needs to undergo a VA examination to determine the etiology of his right shoulder condition, and an SOC must be issued regarding the right wrist disability.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hand condition, bilateral foot condition, and left shoulder condition were dismissed. The claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder was reopened.

The Board has added relevant treatment records and examination reports to the claims file since the last decision. The Veteran was not provided with a waiver for this additional evidence, so the appeal is being remanded for readjudication.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete records and the need for additional examinations. The claims will be reviewed after obtaining all relevant records.

The Board found that the Appellant is not entitled to special monthly pension (SMP) based on her need for aid and attendance, as she does not meet the criteria of actual requirements of personal assistance from others.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient development and examination. The issues include right shoulder, middle finger, knee, foot, back, breast reduction surgery, cervical dysplasia (claimed as cancerous-type tissue), migraine headaches, and carpal tunnel syndrome.

The Veteran's initial and subsequent ratings for his left shoulder tear, infraspinatus tendon are being remanded due to the need to obtain Social Security Administration records.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection of a right shoulder disability was granted in 2016, and the case has been dismissed due to the Veteran's death.