Shoulder decisions — 2022

The Veteran is granted one annual clothing allowance for 2015 for medication prescribed by VA for a service-connected skin condition. The claims for back and right knee braces are denied as they were not used due to non-service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted, as his service-connected disabilities make him unemployable.,Claims for earlier effective dates for left lower extremity radiculopathy and hypertension are denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's cervical spine condition is secondary to his service-connected left shoulder strain.

The Veteran's Parkinson's disease is granted as service-connected. The increased rating for left shoulder tendonitis and the claim for a separate diagnosis of left shoulder muscle strain are remanded.

The Veteran's right shoulder, elbow, and bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome are granted service connection. The Board finds the Veteran's IHD, low back disorder, and neck disorder claims should be remanded for further development.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but has remanded the issues of service connection for chronic lower back issues, gout, and chronic right shoulder pain due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's appeal is dismissed for the issue of an increased initial disability rating in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus. The right elbow scar has been granted a 10 percent rating, effective from the date of the decision. Other issues are REMANDED for further development.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a bilateral foot disability and left shoulder disability, as they are inextricably intertwined due to the potential impact on the service connection claim for the left shoulder. The VA must obtain SSA records and provide an addendum opinion addressing whether the preexisting pes planus was aggravated during service and if any other currently-diagnosed foot disabilities had their onset in service or are otherwise etiologically related to service. For the left shoulder disability, the VA must also address whether it is at least as likely as not caused by or aggravated by the bilateral foot disability.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to January 25, 2017, for the grant of service connection for sleep apnea is denied. The Board has also remanded the issue of service connection for left shoulder disorder as secondary to service-connected cervical spine disability.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including right knee meniscal tear, left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome, degenerative arthritis of the shoulders, bilateral hand disability, and bilateral hearing loss. However, due to the complexity of these cases, additional development is required as they are currently being remanded.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine the nature and etiology of any right shoulder disorder, including whether it is related to service. The case is being remanded for further examination and evaluation.

The Board denied service connection for a left Achilles tendon / ankle disability and a right shoulder disability, finding that the evidence did not support a nexus to active service.,For the lumbar spine disability, the Veteran was granted TDIU from October 11, 2021.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection for various disabilities, including bilateral hearing loss, back disability, right knee disability, right shoulder/arm disability, neck disability, and headache disability. The appeal was withdrawn by the Veteran and his representative.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including bladder cancer and insomnia, have been granted. The claim for a right shoulder disorder is remanded.

The Veteran's right shoulder strain with arthritis, right elbow strain, and right ankle strain (distal fibula fracture) are all granted as service-connected.,An initial compensable rating for the service-connected right little finger disability prior to November 25, 2019, is denied. An initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for the service-connected right little finger disability since November 25, 2019, is also denied.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection of various disabilities have been dismissed due to his death.

The Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions are granted, including sleep apnea, heart disorder, hypertension, left hip disability, low back disability, and tinnitus. The Board finds the evidence in relative equipoise regarding these claims.,However, several new issues of entitlement to service connection have been identified, such as chest pain, dyspnea, right foot stress fracture, right hip disability, osteoporosis, right shoulder disability, tremors, asthma, blepharitis, lipoma of the chest, and kidney stones. These claims are currently pending for further review.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for migraine headaches has been reopened and granted.,Service connection is established for cervical spine multilevel degenerative disc disease, left upper extremity radiculopathy, right upper extremity radiculopathy, left shoulder impingement syndrome, rotator cuff tear bursitis, glenohumeral joint osteoarthritis, and right elbow lateral epicondylitis with degenerative joint disease and bursitis.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and examination, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any shoulder disability. The issues include service connection for right and left shoulder disabilities as well as TDIU.

The Veteran's claims for service connection on multiple joints and back disorders are being remanded due to additional relevant evidence added to the record since the December 2021 supplemental statement of the case.