Shoulder decisions — 2020

The Board has denied service connection for right shoulder and lumbar spine disorders, but has remanded the issues of service connection for gastrointestinal disorder other than irritable bowel syndrome (GERD) and gastritis, as well as psychiatric disorder.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service-connected due to in-service noise exposure. However, his bilateral hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a disability under VA regulations.,The Board has found that there was no substantial compliance with prior remand directives regarding joint conditions and vertigo.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete VA Form 21-4142 and a need for an addendum opinion regarding bilateral pes planus.

The Board has determined that the Veteran is entitled to a TDIU on an extraschedular basis, effective November 13, 2006, due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's left shoulder disability is rated at 20 percent, and the Board denied an increased rating.,For his right hip degenerative joint disease prior to December 23, 2008 and from March 1, 2009 to January 7, 2013, the Veteran's ratings were denied. From March 1, 2014 to November 20, 2019, his rating was also denied. Beginning November 21, 2019, a higher rating for his right hip post-prosthesis placement was denied.,The Veteran’s left shoulder disability is rated at 20 percent and the Board found no evidence of more than the minimum compensable evaluation due to pain alone. The Veteran's right hip degenerative joint disease prior to December 23, 2008 and from March 1, 2009 to January 7, 2013 was not rated higher than 10 percent. From March 1, 2014 to November 20, 2019, the Veteran's right hip post-prosthesis placement did not meet the criteria for a rating greater than 30 percent. Beginning November 21, 2019, his right hip post-prosthesis placement was rated at 50 percent.,The Board found that the Veteran’s left shoulder disability did not result in limitation of motion midway between the side and shoulder level during the appeal period since July 12, 2008. For his right hip degenerative joint disease prior to December 23, 2008 and from March 1, 2009 to January 7, 2013, he had pain and functional loss with extension at 5 degrees. From March 1, 2014 to November 20, 2019, his right hip post-prosthesis placement did not meet the criteria for a rating greater than 30 percent due to residuals requiring crutches. Beginning November 21, 2019, his right hip post-prosthesis placement was rated at 50 percent.

The Board has granted service connection for cervical strain and a bilateral shoulder condition (rotator cuff impingement, tendonitis, and acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis) based on continuity of symptoms since service.

The Veteran's OSA is currently rated at 50 percent, effective June 6, 2011. The Board denied a higher rating as the symptoms do not meet the criteria for a 100 percent rating.,The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for his OSA was denied because no formal or informal claim prior to June 6, 2011 has been filed.,The Veteran is granted TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities. The Board found that the Veteran’s physical limitations due to his service-connected conditions make it impossible for him to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has remanded the case for a new VA examination and opinion to determine if the Veteran's left shoulder disabilities are related to service, including as due to a 1999 in-service motor vehicle accident and/or carrying caskets weighing 800 pounds or more during service. The examiner is also asked to provide opinions on whether the disabilities were caused by or aggravated by the service-connected back and neck disabilities.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted service connection, while his left shoulder disability, low back disability, disabilities of both knees, bilateral hearing loss, and respiratory disability are denied.

The Board has denied service connection for various conditions, including respiratory disorder, heart disorder, erectile dysfunction, gastrointestinal disorder, and others, all of which the Veteran claims are related to in-service exposure to ionizing radiation. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by service.

The Board has denied service connection for a right shoulder disability, but granted service connection for tooth loss of the top front teeth due to an in-service injury.,Service connection was established based on direct evidence showing that the Veteran's current condition is related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's left shoulder disorders. The examiner must consider the Veteran's lay reports and presume he was sound on entry into service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased evaluations and TDIU due to incomplete information in his medical records, including lack of updated opinions regarding the severity of his service-connected conditions. The Veteran is also required to provide employment information from previous employers.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral shoulder rotator cuff injuries and cervical spine strain are remanded. The Veteran's hypertension claim is also remanded due to the National Academy of Sciences' categorization of hypertension as 'limited or suggestive evidence of an association' with herbicide exposure. His erectile dysfunction claim is also remanded, including whether it is related to service-connected PTSD, hypertension, and/or cervical spine strain.,The Veteran's TDIU claim is remanded due to its being intertwined with the issues of service connection.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is remanded due to the need for a VA examination and further development of his service-connected right shoulder and knee conditions, as well as consideration of whether an extra-schedular rating is warranted.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for low back, right shoulder, and left shoulder disabilities due to a lack of evidence showing that these conditions began during or are otherwise related to his military service.

The Board denied service connection for cervical spine, right shoulder, lumbar spine, and left leg disabilities due to lack of evidence showing a direct relationship between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.

The Board denied service connection for various disabilities, including ankle, elbow, foot, hip, knee, shoulder, wrist, neck, back, GERD, hypertension, and eye conditions. The evidence did not show any in-service injury or incident that could be linked to these conditions.,There is no current evidence of a diagnosed disability related to the claimed ankle, elbow, foot, hip, knee, shoulder, wrist, neck, back, GERD, hypertension, or eye disabilities.

The Board has granted service connection for right hand/fingers arthritis, left hand/fingers arthritis, right shoulder arthritis, and left shoulder arthritis. The decision is based on direct service connection due to the Veteran's in-service injuries.

The Board has granted increased ratings for the Veteran's right shoulder, cervical spine, and lumbar spine disabilities. The Veteran is also entitled to special monthly compensation based on need for aid and attendance or housebound status.