Shoulder decisions — 2020

The Board has granted service connection for headaches and tinnitus, but has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional disabilities including posterior vitreous detachment (claimed as blurred vision), right knee disability, bilateral foot disability, head injury, brain disease due to trauma, left shoulder disability, prostatitis with semino-vesiculitis, upper right quadrant abdominal pain, and right shoulder disability.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim of service connection for a left shoulder disability due to insufficient medical opinion and failure to adequately discuss continuity of symptomatology.

The Board denied service connection for left shoulder, right shoulder, and cervical spine disabilities due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a left shoulder disability, right shoulder disability (including strain and arthritis), left knee disability, and right knee disability due to insufficient examination findings and lack of nexus opinions.

The Board has granted service connection for chronic rotator cuff impairment of the left shoulder and status post-surgical repair of rotator cuff impairment of the right shoulder. The TDIU claim is also remanded due to its inextricability with the rating decision.

The Veteran's intestinal condition, diagnosed as diverticulosis, is granted service connection. The initial rating for her degenerative arthritis of the left shoulder remains at 20%.

The Board has remanded multiple issues related to the Veteran's service-connected lower thoracic strain, including claims for neck condition, shoulder conditions, arm numbness, hand numbness, and headache. The remand requires obtaining additional medical opinions regarding whether these conditions are related to or aggravated by the service-connected back condition.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's service connection claim for a right shoulder disability should be remanded due to insufficient evidence and need for additional medical opinions.

The Board has determined that additional medical examination and opinion are needed to address the Veteran's claims for service connection of his right shoulder, left knee, and right hip conditions due to insufficient evidence in the record.

The Veteran's TDIU claim for the period prior to January 22, 2018 is remanded due to conflicting evidence regarding his ability to work. The Board finds a need for further medical opinions on the impact of service-connected disabilities and the service-connected acquired psychiatric disorder on employment.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a right shoulder disability related to his military service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including a dental condition for treatment purposes and right shoulder tendonitis with residual clavicle fracture and deviated nasal septum, have been granted. However, the ratings remain unchanged as they do not meet the criteria for higher ratings.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for right shoulder strain and left shoulder bone spurs due to incomplete records and need for additional medical opinions.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's back disability, left lower extremity radiculopathy, right shoulder disability, left shoulder disability, left wrist disability, and left ankle disability. The right ankle disability is denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral eye disability and teeth pain/dental claim were denied as there was no evidence of a service-connected condition or exposure basis.

The Veteran is granted a 50 percent rating for migraines, effective from the date of the decision. The rating is based on symptoms including throbbing pain, nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light and sound, changes in vision, and sensory changes that result in frequent prostrating attacks.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disability is reopened, and his right shoulder disability is granted as secondary to his left shoulder disability. The case is remanded due to the need to obtain updated treatment records and provide an addendum opinion regarding the psychiatric disability.

The Board denied service connection for various disabilities including right shoulder, left shoulder, low back, cervical spine, right knee, left knee, right hand, and left hand disabilities as they were not found to be related to service or a service-connected condition.

The Board is remanding the case for AOJ review of additional evidence received after the December 2017 Statement of the Case.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his lumbar spine, knee, shoulder, and GERD disabilities have been denied as the evidence does not support a higher rating under applicable VA regulations.