Shoulder decisions — 2021

The Board denied service connection for a right shoulder disorder, neck disorder, and right ankle disorder. The Veteran's current conditions were not related to his military service.,Service connection for PTSD was also denied as the claimed stressors could not be verified.

The Board has granted service connection for loss of sense of smell and right knee disability. The other issues are remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has decided that service connection is denied for a bilateral hip disorder, bilateral ankle disorder, and right shoulder tendonitis. The case is REMANDED to obtain additional medical opinions regarding the right shoulder tendonitis.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a sleep disability, including sleep apnea and related to PTSD, was denied.,Service connection was granted for the skin disability of tinea versicolor. The condition was presumed to have been aggravated by service.,The Veteran's hypertension was not found to be related to service or exposure to herbicide agents.,Bilateral hearing loss was not established as a service-connected disability.,No service connection was granted for bilateral shoulder disability, back disability, or neck disability.,Service connection was denied for the Veteran's back and neck disabilities.,The decision also referred the issue of service connection for cardiovascular disease secondary to PTSD to the Regional Office (RO) for further adjudication.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased rating for bilateral hearing loss, service connection for lumbar spine condition, and service connection for bilateral shoulder condition due to new evidence and need for further examination.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral knee and shoulder disabilities due to a lack of diagnosis in service records, but with current symptomatology. Further development is needed to determine if there is any functional impairment caused by reported pain.

The Board has dismissed the claims for bilateral pes planus, bilateral hearing loss, and bilateral tinnitus. The remaining issues of service connection for PTSD as a result of MST, bilateral shoulder condition, back condition, neck condition, and jaw condition are remanded.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for a bilateral eye disability has been withdrawn and is dismissed.,Service connection granted for tinnitus, with the condition onset in service.,Service connection denied for left knee strain as it did not onset in service and is not causally related to his service.,Remanded for further examination and opinion regarding obstructive sleep apnea.,Remanded for further examination and opinion regarding an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and unspecified anxiety disorder).,Remanded for further examination and opinion regarding a bilateral hearing loss disability.,Remanded for further examination and opinion regarding a lumbar spine disability.,Remanded for new VA examination to assess the nature and severity of functional diarrhea since January 2016.,Remanded for new VA examination to evaluate the nature and severity of residuals of left shoulder dislocation.

The Veteran's bilateral ankle and shoulder disabilities are granted as service-connected. The disabilities were found to be at least as likely as not incurred or caused by his military service.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's right shoulder condition should be remanded for further examination and opinion due to inconsistencies in the previous VA examination.

The Veteran's claims for a higher rating for right shoulder tendonitis and service connection for PTSD and bipolar disorder with depression are remanded due to the need for additional evidence and examinations.

The Veteran's lumbar strain and posterior facet joint arthropathy are granted as service-connected. The right ankle, sleep apnea, diabetes mellitus type II, right shoulder disability (other than right upper extremity radiculopathy), left shoulder disability (other than left upper extremity radiculopathy and residuals of stab wound), respiratory disability (to include asbestosis), and hemorrhoids are all remanded for further development.

The Board denied service connection for blood clots and increased ratings for left ankle disability, degenerative joint disease of the cervical spine, left shoulder disability, and hypertension. The Veteran's conditions were not found to meet the criteria for ankylosis in any of these cases.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for various disabilities, including left shoulder and ankle disabilities, lumbar spine disability, and right knee disability. The issues include determining appropriate functional loss due to pain or other symptoms during flare-ups or with repeated use, as well as assessing whether there are any incapacitating episodes associated with these conditions.

The Board denied service connection for a low back disability and a left shoulder disability, finding that the Veteran did not have chronic or continuous symptoms since service separation.,Service connection was also denied for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), tonsillectomy residuals, anal fissure, bilateral calluses, and bilateral plantar fasciitis.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient information provided by the VA examiner regarding the Veteran's right shoulder disability, specifically concerning the severity and frequency of flare-ups. The Veteran will need a new examination to address these issues.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings are remanded due to the need for additional medical examination and development of records.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's claimed conditions. The issues of service connection for various knee, back, and shoulder disorders are being remanded.

The Veteran's appeals for higher ratings for his left shoulder and left knee disabilities have been dismissed as he has withdrawn them.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development, including obtaining outstanding VA and private treatment records and obtaining a medical opinion regarding the significance of the Veteran's left shoulder imaging results under the rating criteria.