Shoulder decisions — 2021

The Board has remanded several issues related to service connection for various disabilities, including heart disability, hypertension, nerve condition, bilateral shoulder and ankle disabilities, bilateral toe arthritis, and cervical spine disability. The claims are pending further development.

The Board has remanded the case due to a need for additional development and consideration, including obtaining a supplemental opinion from an orthopedist or someone qualified to comment on the cause of the type disability being claimed.

The Board has remanded the cases due to a lack of compliance with previous remand directives regarding obtaining post-service VA treatment records. The Veteran's right shoulder, bilateral knees, and bilateral ankles conditions are being reviewed again for service connection.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for right shoulder, left shoulder, and left knee disabilities due to incomplete compliance with a previous remand directive. The VA examiner is instructed to consider the Veteran's lay statements regarding his in-service job as a mail clerk.

The Veteran's appeal for a rating in excess of 20 percent for his service-connected left shoulder disability and temporary total rating for his hallux valgus deformity after June 1, 2013 was denied.

The Veteran's right knee strain, lumbar back strain, fibromyalgia, Raynaud's disease, and shoulder disabilities are all granted. The effective date for the grant of service connection for the lumbar back strain is set at August 1, 2007.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right shoulder disability, blindness, blurred vision, and lower back disability due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for left and right elbow disorders, bilateral knee disorders, and a right shoulder disorder due to inadequate VA examination opinions. The claims are being returned for further development.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevented him from obtaining and maintaining gainful employment from May 2012 to September 2016, and the Board granted a TDIU on an extraschedular basis for this period.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection of a left shoulder disability, excluding upper left extremity neuropathy.

The Veteran's right ankle strain is rated at 10% and not entitled to a higher rating.,There is no evidence of a back disorder related to service, and the claim for service connection is denied.,Service connection has been granted for the right shoulder disorder, but it was not incurred in or caused by service.,The Veteran's right knee and left knee disorders are not considered to be related to service.,There is no evidence of a back disorder related to service.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeal due to his death, as appeals do not survive their appellants' deaths.

The Veteran's left knee osteoarthritis of the patellofemoral compartment is granted as service-connected.,For the period prior to October 29, 2019, the Veteran's right shoulder disability did not meet the criteria for a higher than 20 percent rating. From October 29, 2019 onwards, the Veteran's right shoulder disability meets the criteria for a 30 percent rating.,For the period from October 29, 2019 onwards, the Veteran's left shoulder disability meets the criteria for a 30 percent rating. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inadequate VA examinations and failure to consider the Veteran's lay statements. The case is being returned for further examination and opinion.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection of various conditions, including left shoulder condition, right shoulder condition, neck condition, skin condition, residuals of bronchitis, and respiratory condition. The appeal for a rating in excess of 10 percent for rhinitis is being remanded.

The Veteran's diagnosed lumbar degenerative disc disease and lumbar spondylosis are secondary to his service-connected bilateral elbow disability. The Board finds that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's claimed right arm, left arm, right knee, left knee, right shoulder, left shoulder, right hand, and left hand conditions are related to his service-connected bilateral elbow disability.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection of various conditions due to the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his left shoulder disability was denied as the evidence did not show that he met the criteria for a higher rating based on limitation of motion or other service-connected conditions.

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

The claim for service connection of a neck condition is remanded due to the need for additional medical examination. The Veteran's history of neck and shoulder pain during active duty, as well as post-service treatment records, supports reopening the claim.