Shoulder decisions — 2021

The Board has denied service connection for right and left shoulder disorders, a right hip disorder, a left knee disorder, and a right ankle disorder as these conditions are not shown to be related to service or any service-connected disability.

The Board has remanded the claims of entitlement to service connection for right hip arthritis, right knee arthritis, right ankle arthritis, right shoulder arthritis, right elbow arthritis, and right wrist arthritis. The reasons include the need to obtain VA treatment records and VRE records, as well as a new VA examination to assess current right extremity joint conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for TDIU, finding that his service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from being able to work in an office setting.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right shoulder disability and benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH).,There is no evidence of any current right shoulder disability or BPH related to military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and medical opinions regarding his service-connected disabilities, including right shoulder-AC separation, right knee strain (recharacterized as total knee replacement), cervical spine disability, lumbosacral strain, left elbow avulsion injury with residuals, left upper extremity carpal tunnel syndrome, GERD, malaria residuals, headaches, and bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran is also seeking service connection for his right upper extremity carpal tunnel syndrome.

The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's claimed left hip, left knee, and left shoulder conditions as well as his COPD/shortness of breath condition due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has remanded the claims for hypertension, migraine disability, and right shoulder disability due to inadequate medical opinions in previous examinations. The Veteran's service connection claims are being reviewed again with a focus on whether these conditions are related to his service or a chronic multisymptom illness.

The Veteran's right shoulder disability is currently rated at 20 percent, effective from October 24, 2014. The Board finds that the current rating adequately reflects the severity of his condition.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection of headaches, back condition, and left shoulder condition due to the death of the appellant.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeal for increased ratings for his right ankle disability due to a withdrawal by the Veteran. The claim of service connection for a left shoulder disability is remanded for further development and consideration.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional records related to the Veteran's right shoulder surgery. The Veteran is seeking a temporary total rating based on convalescence following the surgery.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding his left shoulder disability, cervical spine disability, and lumbar degenerative disc disease.,The VA examiner is requested to provide clarification on the severity of the muscle group injuries in the Veteran's left shoulder as well as assess the impact of his newly service-connected cervical spine disability on his lumbar spine disability.

The Board has remanded the case due to a need for additional medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's diagnosed osteoarthritis, which is claimed as rheumatoid arthritis of the shoulders and legs. The claim will be reconsidered based on the new opinions.

The Board has remanded the cases of service connection for an abnormal mitral valve, a right shoulder disability, and sleep apnea due to new evidence added to the claims file after previous decisions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for cervical spine, right shoulder, right wrist, and right ankle disabilities due to conflicting evidence regarding when and how these conditions were caused or aggravated. The VA is instructed to obtain additional medical records and provide supplemental opinions on whether the Veteran’s current disabilities are secondary to his service-connected right knee disability.,The Board has also remanded the claim for compensation for bladder cancer pursuant to 38 U.S.C. §1151 due to a lack of rationale regarding whether a nerve cluster was severed during surgery and if VA's care caused additional disability.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for neck disability, left shoulder disability, disabilities of the left upper and lower extremities, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) due to incomplete medical records. The AOJ is instructed to obtain any missing VA or private treatment records and provide the Veteran with the opportunity to waive restrictions on obtaining such records.

The Board has remanded the case for another medical opinion to address direct service connection and whether the Veteran's right arm and shoulder condition is related to his military service.

The Board denied service connection for a left shoulder disability and denied the Veteran's claim for an increased rating of his right knee disorder.,The Veteran’s left shoulder disability was not shown to be related to service, while his right knee disorder resulted in chronic residuals with severe painful motion or weakness.

The Board denied service connection for a cervical spine condition, left shoulder condition, back condition, and bilateral hip condition. The evidence did not support the Veteran's claims that these conditions were related to his active military service.,There was no medical opinion linking any of the claimed conditions to the Veteran’s time in service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection have been remanded due to the need for further development. The issues of entitlement to a rating in excess of 40 percent for chronic lumbar strain, as well as those of bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy and bladder disorder, are currently pending.