Shoulder decisions — 2020

The Veteran's service-connected disability (left shoulder replacement) does not preclude him from securing and following substantially gainful employment, as he has accepted a job in November 2019.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for a neck and shoulder disability, including arthritis, and a bilateral foot condition, including flatfeet, metatarsalgia, and hallux valgus. The reasons are that the Veteran's service treatment records were not found, and further examination is needed to determine if her current disabilities are related to her active duty service.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development due to new evidence received after a previous SSOC was issued.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service-connected conditions, including evaluations and service connection for various disabilities. The Veteran is also required to provide VA treatment records from September 2018 onwards and undergo examinations for his current disability levels and etiology.

The Board has granted service connection for a right elbow and forearm condition, finding it at least as likely as not related to the Veteran's inservice jump from his ship. However, the Board denied service connection for a right shoulder condition, concluding that there is no evidence of such an injury in service or any relationship between current shoulder issues and service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his lumbar spine degenerative disc disease, left and right ankle traumatic arthritis, and left shoulder arthritis due to incomplete examination reports and lack of information on flare-ups or associated objective neurologic abnormalities.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient medical opinions regarding his cervical spine and left shoulder disabilities. The claims are now before the Board for further review.

The Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions have been denied as there is no competent evidence showing that these conditions were incurred or aggravated during a period of honorable service.

The Veteran's service connection claims for various disabilities, including bilateral eye disability and shoulder disabilities, were denied as there is no competent medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service. The earliest post-service records of the claimed disabilities are over four decades after discharge from active duty.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for thoracic spine disorder, neck disorder, right shoulder disorder, and right hand pain due to inadequate opinions regarding their etiology.

The Veteran's back disability, radiculopathy of the left and right lower extremities, and right shoulder disability are all granted as service-connected.,Service connection for a psychiatric disability is not established.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete records and inadequate VA examination opinions. The AOJ is instructed to obtain additional information, including personnel records and addendum opinions addressing the Veteran's lay statements about symptom onset.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD has been granted. The Board also remanded the claims for neck condition, migraines, left shoulder disability, and right ankle disability due to lack of medical nexus opinions.

The Board has granted service connection for a left knee disability and remanded the issue of service connection for a left shoulder disability.

The Board has denied service connection for right and left shoulder disabilities, finding that the current diagnoses are not related to active service.

The Board denied initial ratings in excess of 20 percent for right shoulder and right wrist disabilities, finding that the Veteran's symptoms did not meet or approximate the criteria for higher disability ratings under VA rating criteria.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development on issues of service connection and initial ratings.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's claimed disabilities.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for a right shoulder disability and bilateral foot disability, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and effective dates are being remanded due to the need for additional development.,Specifically, the Board is requesting that SSA provide any underlying medical records used in their March 2012 decision on the Veteran's right lower extremity radiculopathy claim.