Shoulder decisions — 2020

The Veteran's claims for service connection for rheumatoid arthritis of hands, arms, knees, shoulders, and back, as well as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), were denied. The Board found no evidence to support the Veteran's assertions that he had these conditions during or due to his time in service.

The Board denied service connection for a left shoulder disability, finding that the Veteran's current condition is not related to his military service.

The Board has remanded several claims for further development, including obtaining medical opinions and treatment records to address the Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for neck, thoracolumbar spine, right and left lower extremity radiculopathy, and left shoulder conditions are remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD and left shoulder disability have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, resulting in the grant of TDIU.

The Board has decided to remand several issues related to the Veteran's service-connected and claimed conditions, including left lung scarring, obstructive sleep apnea, nerve damage of the upper back, left shoulder disorder, and chest wall stiffness. The decision does not specify a rating assigned or effective date.

The Veteran's back disability is rated at 40 percent, and separate ratings of 20 percent are granted for right and left lower extremity radiculopathy. The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for an eye disorder, bilateral shoulder strain, elbow arthritis, hand arthritis, and knee arthritis.

The Veteran's application to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for fibromyalgia as due to an undiagnosed illness is granted. The Board has remanded cases related to PTSD, depression and anxiety, right shoulder condition, left shoulder condition, and fibromyalgia.

The Veteran's left shoulder disability is currently rated at 20 percent, and the appeal for a higher rating remains before the Board.,The Veteran's posttraumatic arthritis of the left elbow is currently rated at 10 percent, and the appeal for a higher rating remains before the Board.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional examinations and opinions regarding his service-connected disabilities, as well as for potential new evidence related to hearing loss, sciatica, and respiratory disabilities.

The Veteran's right shoulder condition is rated at 20 percent, which is the maximum rating available for limitation of motion. The Board finds that this rating adequately reflects his disability.

The Board has granted an initial rating of 20 percent for the Veteran's right shoulder disability from August 17, 1964 to November 30, 1978 and a rating of 20 percent from February 1, 1979 to November 7, 2007.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral shoulder condition, lumbar spine condition, and dental disability due to incomplete medical records. The Veteran's tinnitus claim is granted.

The Veteran's right shoulder disability is currently rated at 20 percent prior to June 12, 2014 and denied for a rating in excess of 20 percent from that date. The claims for increased ratings for seizure disorder and TDIU are being remanded.

The Board denied the claim for a total disability rating for compensation based on unemployability of the individual prior to July 15, 2008 due to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities not precluding him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a left elbow disorder and remanded the issues of rating in excess of 20 percent for his left shoulder acromioclavicular separation and TDIU due to his left shoulder disability. The decision also noted that the preponderance of evidence is against finding that the left elbow disorder was caused or aggravated by his service-connected left shoulder acromioclavicular separation.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to inadequate opinions in previous VA examinations. The Veteran's right shoulder disability is denied as there is no nexus between his current pain and an in-service injury, while the left knee disability remains under consideration.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals regarding increased ratings for left knee disability, left knee scars, right shoulder disability, and right shoulder scar. The Board has dismissed these claims.

The Board has granted service connection for left ear hearing loss. Service connection was denied for the remaining conditions: left shoulder disability, right shoulder disability, lumbar spine disability, generalized anxiety disorder, migraine headaches, and sinusitis.

The Veteran's claims for PTSD, blepharitis, tension headaches, hypertension, right shoulder condition, lumbar spine degenerative disc disease, and cervical spine degenerative disc disease are remanded due to a duty to assist error. The Board requires VA to obtain all outstanding treatment records from the San Juan VAMC and request relevant psychiatric treatment records from Dr. M.R.