Shoulder decisions — 2020

The Veteran withdrew her appeal, so the case is dismissed.

The Veteran's left shoulder disability is rated at 20 percent, and his degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine is rated at 40 percent effective March 17, 2010. Both ratings are denied.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for a cerebrovascular accident has been withdrawn.,Service connection for hypertension is denied as there is no in-service event or continuous symptomatology related to the condition.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus is denied due to lack of evidence showing current disability within VA standards.,The Veteran's bilateral shoulder disorder, osteoarthritis impacting multiple joints, and erectile dysfunction are remanded for further evaluation.,Further medical examination is needed to determine if the Veteran’s conditions are related to service or other service-connected disabilities.

The appeal to reopen the claims for neck and right shoulder disabilities is granted. The claim for a rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD is denied, but the Veteran's notice of disagreement regarding the effective date for an acquired psychiatric disorder was not timely.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for a higher rating for lumbar spine degenerative joint disease, a total disability rating due to unemployability, and service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and arthritis of multiple joints. The appeals are dismissed due to the Veteran's death.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right shoulder disability and increased ratings for bilateral knee disabilities due to inadequate development.

The Veteran's appeal to reopen a claim for service connection for a cervical spine/left shoulder condition is granted. The issue of service connection for the left scapular scar is remanded.

The Board denied service connection for left knee, right knee, and right shoulder disorders due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's military service.

The Veteran's service connection claims for diabetes mellitus, type II, heart disability, headaches, and left shoulder disability are all denied.,Service connection was not granted as the evidence does not establish a link between these conditions and service.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings and service connection have been denied. The Board has also remanded the cases for further development.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD) is not service-connected.,His erectile dysfunction and chest pain are not service-connected.

The Veteran's appeal includes multiple issues related to his service-connected conditions, including PTSD, headaches, back condition, nose condition, bilateral hearing loss, patellofemoral syndrome with hyperextension injury and suspected ACL involvement of the right knee, patellofemoral syndrome of the left knee, tinnitus, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and residuals of a right shoulder injury. The Board has determined that further development is needed for these issues.

Service connection has been granted for lumbar spine disability, bilateral hip disability, and left ankle disability. The right shoulder disability remains under review.,The acquired psychiatric disability (anxiety and depression) is now considered service-connected.

The Veteran's TDIU claim for prior to June 14, 2018 is granted. The VA has also remanded the issues of ratings for left knee flexion and extension.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss has been reopened and granted. The claims for Meniere’s disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease/Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, an acquired psychiatric disorder (to include generalized anxiety disorder), cirrhosis of the liver, a left shoulder disability, and radiculopathy of the left upper extremity are all remanded.

The Veteran's right ankle disability is granted with a 20% rating from March 28, 2002, to October 14, 2014. A higher rating for the right ankle disability is denied after October 15, 2014. Service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and right shoulder arthritis are granted. The issue of service connection for a low back disability is remanded.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for TBI, left shoulder paresthesia, right hand paresthesia, and left hand paresthesia due to lack of a current diagnosis. The cases are remanded for further development.

The Board has granted service connection for left shoulder degenerative joint disease and obstructive sleep apnea, finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise to support these claims.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional evidence and examinations.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining an addendum opinion regarding whether the Veteran's depression is related to or aggravated by his service-connected disabilities.