Shoulder decisions — 2021

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for various hip and foot conditions, as well as shoulder conditions, due to inadequate medical opinions addressing the Veteran's contentions regarding in-service falls and treatment for rubella.

The Veteran's lumbosacral strain and right knee meniscal tear have been rated, but the Board has not determined if additional service connection is warranted for neck, shoulder, or sinus conditions.,The Veteran's knees require further examination to determine their current functional limitations.

The Veteran is seeking an earlier effective date for his service connection grants of left shoulder, left foot, and back disabilities. The Board finds no evidence that any claim was filed prior to December 30, 2015.,The Veteran's skin cancer disability has not been evaluated by a VA examiner since June 2019. A remand is necessary for the Veteran to be provided with an examination.

The Veteran's gastrointestinal disorder, left heel bursitis, and right and/or left shoulder disorders are being remanded for further evaluation due to inadequate previous VA examinations.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased rating for various disabilities, including dental condition, right shoulder disability, right arm disability, OSA, kidney disability, polycythemia, right knee DJD with limitation of flexion, left knee DJD, hemorrhoids, hiatal hernia with GERD, and TDIU. The remand requires additional development to obtain relevant VA treatment records and conduct a VA examination for the Veteran's knee disabilities.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for various knee and hand disorders due to incomplete development of records.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right shoulder disability, gastrointestinal disability (including IBS), and testicular disability due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

Service connection is granted for low back disability and bilateral lower extremity neurological disability.,Service connection is remanded for a bilateral shoulder disability.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for left shoulder tendinopathy and partial thickness tear of the supraspinatus and biceps tendons with superior labral tear is granted. The other claims are remanded.

The Board has dismissed the appeals regarding various disabilities as the Veteran died during the appeal process.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient compliance with prior remand directives and a need for an adequate nexus opinion regarding the Veteran's left shoulder disability.

The Veteran's right lateral epicondylitis and GERD have been granted increased disability evaluations, while the other conditions remain at their current non-compensable ratings.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and special monthly compensation based on aid and attendance due to incomplete medical records. The issues include left shoulder disability, left shoulder scar, right shoulder scars, and need for aid and attendance.

The Veteran's right shoulder disability, cervical spine disorder, and lumbar spine disorder are all granted as service-connected. The Veteran has a current diagnosis of these conditions.

The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 100 percent for right tonsil squamous cell carcinoma is denied. The Board also found that the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for special monthly compensation based on housebound criteria is remanded due to the need to adjudicate additional service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's right shoulder disability was denied increased ratings, and other conditions were also denied.

The Veteran meets the schedular criteria for a TDIU rating due to service-connected PTSD effective October 27, 2015. The Board has granted a TDIU rating as of that date.

The Veteran's service connection claim for right ear hearing loss is denied. The VA examiner found no current diagnosis of right ear hearing loss, and the Veteran does not have a current disability related to his thoracolumbar sprain or right shoulder that warrants an increased rating. A separate 10 percent rating was granted for the right sciatic nerve disability.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated as 0 percent disabling, and the issue of TDIU was denied.,The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have not prevented her from securing or following substantially gainful employment.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for increased ratings in excess of 10 percent for cervical spine strain, sleep apnea, residuals of head injury with post traumatic headaches, right shoulder condition, back condition (lumbar degenerative disc disease), left knee degenerative joint disease, and dyspepsia or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).