Shoulder decisions — 2019

The Veteran's appeal concerning residuals of prostate cancer with painful urination was withdrawn. The claims for service connection for a bilateral shoulder condition, left hip condition, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, and hernia were denied as there is no evidence of an in-service injury or disease that would support these claims.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims due to incomplete records and inadequate examination reports. The Veteran is required to provide additional medical evidence, including treatment records from VA facilities and SSA records. He also needs to undergo further examinations for his neck, low back, and right shoulder disabilities, as well as a psychiatric examination.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claims for service connection of left shoulder joint pain, sinusitis, and hypertension need further examination and review. The case is being sent back to the RO for additional evaluations.

The Veteran's claims for an increased rating for right wrist degenerative arthritis and TDIU prior to May 17, 2019 are being remanded due to the need for additional development including obtaining a VA opinion regarding his employment capacity and referring the TDIU claim to the Compensation Service Director for extraschedular consideration.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current cervical spine, shoulder, knee conditions are not related to his military service and remands these issues for further development.

The Veteran's sleep apnea is proximately due to service-connected conditions, including asthma and depressive disorder. The Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's depressive disorder, right shoulder disorder, and left temporomandibular joint disorder have been granted increased ratings. Additionally, the Veteran has been awarded a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left shoulder disorders, right knee disorder, left knee disorder, cervical spine disorder, bilateral renal cysts, prostatitis/benign prostatic hypertrophy with hematuria (BPH) have all been denied as the evidence does not support a finding of in-service onset or direct causation.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and right shoulder disability due to new and material evidence. The claim for right ear hearing loss is denied as there is no current hearing loss disability meeting VA criteria. Service connection for tinnitus is granted based on continuity of symptomatology. The claim for left ear hearing loss is remanded for a VA examination. The claim for right shoulder disability is remanded for an opinion regarding its etiology.

The Board denied service connection for a left shoulder disability and granted a 60% rating for alopecia areata, finding insufficient evidence to support the Veteran's claims.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral shoulder, knee, lumbar spine, and cervical spine disabilities due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to service. The Veteran's representative did not respond to the RO’s request for additional information.,Service connection was also denied for TBI and chronic headache disability as there is no objective evidence supporting their existence or causation in service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including major depressive disorder with anxiety features, bilateral shoulder, hand, and knee conditions, neck condition, back condition, sleep condition, and gastrointestinal condition are all denied. The Board found no current diagnoses or evidence of these conditions during the pendency of the claim.

The Veteran's claim for kidney failure was denied as there is no evidence of current kidney failure during the appeal period.,PTSD was granted with a 70% evaluation, but not at the maximum schedular rating due to his employment and marital status.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for additional evidence, including service personnel records and private medical records. The Veteran's right shoulder disorder is being reviewed again as part of this process.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment during the period of October 28, 2009 to February 4, 2013. The Board denied his claim for TDIU as he was employed full-time throughout this period.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional examinations and records to determine the current severity of his service-connected disabilities, including left shoulder dislocation, right knee osteoarthritis, lumbar spine degenerative disc and joint disease, and erectile dysfunction.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection on multiple disabilities remains pending and requires further development. The Board has ordered additional examinations to address the etiology of his claimed conditions, as well as to determine if there are any new or material issues that need to be addressed.

The Board denied service connection for a left shoulder disorder and an eye disorder, finding that the current conditions are not related to military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence regarding the dates of his periods of active duty and inactive duty training, as well as the exact date of a motor vehicle accident in 1988. The Veteran is also required to provide legible versions of military pay vouchers and obtain authorization from VA to release private medical records.

The Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is granted as service-connected. The right shoulder, thoracolumbar spine, and bilateral hearing loss claims are dismissed due to the Veteran withdrawing his appeal for these conditions. The right knee disability claim is remanded for further evaluation.