Shoulder decisions — 2021

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient initial adjudication of certain issues and for an addendum opinion on his TBI residuals.

The Veteran's service-connected right shoulder disability is granted a rating of 40 percent effective October 4, 2017. The claim for an acquired psychiatric disability is also granted. Other issues on appeal are either denied or remanded.

The Veteran's right shoulder disorder is granted service connection as it is secondary to his service-connected right foot/ankle disorder. The neck disorder claim is denied due to lack of evidence showing a direct or secondary relationship with service. The bilateral knee disorders are remanded for further clarification.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating due to individual unemployability (TDIU) on an extraschedular basis prior to August 23, 2011. The evidence did not establish that his service-connected conditions alone rendered him incapable of obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment during this period.

The Veteran's initial compensable ratings for his right shoulder, left shoulder, right knee, right ankle, and left ankle disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional VA treatment records.

The Veteran's right shoulder disability, manifested by painful motion and functional loss due to pain, fatigue, weakness, lack of endurance or incoordination, is currently rated at 20 percent. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a higher rating as there is no objective evidence of limitation of range of motion at or below the shoulder level.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability, right shoulder/upper clavicular radiculopathy with RUE carpal tunnel syndrome, and LUE carpal tunnel syndrome are not rated higher than the currently assigned ratings. The Veteran’s OSA with residuals of sarcoid is also not rated higher.

The Veteran's initial disability rating for bilateral plantar fasciitis is granted from January 3, 2013 to August 6, 2019. The appeal for a higher rating prior to that date and for the entire period on appeal is denied. Other claims are also addressed.

The Veteran's left shoulder disability is rated at 20 percent prior to February 10, 2010 and remanded for further evaluation.,For the period beginning February 10, 2010, the Veteran's left shoulder disability remains rated at 30 percent and also remanded for further evaluation.

The Veteran's paroxysmal atrial fibrillation is granted as service connected. The right and left ankle disabilities are denied as not related to service.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection of a right shoulder disability, including tendinitis and degenerative arthritis. The Board dismissed the appeal due to this withdrawal.

The Board denied service connection for a left shoulder disability and TDIU from March 11, 2020. The Veteran's appeal was remanded to consider the issue of TDIU prior to March 11, 2020.

The Veteran's left and right total knee arthroscopies are rated at 60 percent each from March 1, 2016, through June 26, 2019.,Service connection for a right shoulder disability is remanded due to the need for further evaluation of its relationship to service-connected bilateral knee disabilities.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral shoulder disorders, as they may be related to his service-connected cervical spine disability. The VA examiner did not address whether the Veteran’s shoulder disorders are caused or aggravated by his service-connected neck disability.

The Veteran's respiratory disability, including asthma, is not service-connected.,None of the Veteran’s other disabilities are found to be secondary to a service-connected condition.

The Veteran's multiple nonservice-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for a permanent and total disability rating, as none of them individually or in combination are rated at least 40% disabling. The Board finds that he is not unemployable due to his conditions prior to June 15, 2018.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and examination to determine if service connection can be established for back disability and right shoulder disability.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and service connection have been dismissed due to his withdrawal of the appeal.

The Veteran's appeal for increased evaluations for PTSD and left shoulder disability was denied. The decision did not address the service connection theory, exposure basis, or Pact Act considerations.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's thoracic spine disability and related secondary disabilities.