Shoulder decisions — 2022

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's bilateral shoulder, elbow, and knee disabilities, finding that these conditions are directly related to his active duty service in the U.S. Army.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, cervical spine disability, low back disability, right shoulder disability, left knee disability, and right knee disability. The issues of entitlement to service connection for these conditions are all denied.

The Veteran's appeal for a disability evaluation in excess of 30 percent for service connected left foot plantar fasciitis with heel strain was dismissed. The appeal for TDIU was granted, and the appeals for increased evaluations for lumbar spine disability and right shoulder tendonitis were remanded.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to insufficient medical evidence regarding the etiology of his claimed disabilities.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an evaluation in excess of 20 percent disabling for his service-connected left shoulder disability, finding that the evidence did not show limitation of motion to 25 degrees from the side or midway between side and shoulder level.

The Veteran's left shoulder disability is rated at 20 percent since April 1, 2013.,Back/shoulder scars are not compensable.

The Board has dismissed all appeals seeking to reopen service connection for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, knee disabilities, and shoulder disabilities.

The Board denied an increased rating for the Veteran's right shoulder disability, finding that it did not more nearly approximate limitation of motion midway between the side and shoulder level.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) prior to February 3, 2021. The evidence did not show that the Veteran was unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal for an initial compensable rating for a service-connected anterior left shoulder scar has been dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection of left and right shoulder disabilities due to a lack of medical evidence in the file. The SMC claim is also remanded as it may be impacted by the outcome of these service connection claims.

The Veteran's right shoulder disability is currently rated at 30 percent from October 19, 2018 to February 9, 2022. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a higher rating for this period.

The appeal for a compensable rating for hypertension is dismissed. The Board has also remanded the issue of service connection for a left shoulder disability.

The appeal is dismissed due to the withdrawal of the appeal by the appellant's authorized representative. The issue of timeliness of the notice of disagreement is remanded for further investigation.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for arthritis of the right shoulder was reopened and granted. The Board found that his current right shoulder degenerative arthritis had its onset during active service, granting service connection for this condition. Other claims were remanded due to outstanding medical records.

The Board has determined that the VA examinations conducted in September 2016 are inadequate and remanded for a fresh examination. The Veteran's claims for service connection for his bilateral shoulders and left knee disabilities are now remanded.

The Veteran's tinnitus was present during service and has a continuity of symptomatology since service. The claim for service connection for tinnitus is granted.,Service connection for left ear hearing loss, right ear hearing loss, back disability, neck disability, left shoulder disability, right shoulder disability, right elbow disability, right shin disability (shin splints), and left shin disability (shin splints) are remanded as the VA examination opinion is inadequate.,Service connection for DM is remanded as there is insufficient evidence to determine its onset during service or if it is related to any in-service exposure. Service connection for an eye disability is also remanded due to potential relationship with DM.,Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability is remanded as the Veteran's lay statements provide sufficient evidence of a nexus between his military police duties and his current mental health conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is dismissed due to their death, and no service connection claim was decided.

The Veteran's left shoulder rotator cuff tendonitis was not incurred during service, did not result from an in-service injury or event, and was neither caused nor aggravated by his service-connected disabilities. Therefore, the claim for service connection is denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded due to the need for additional examinations and opinions regarding his acquired psychiatric disorder, obstructive sleep apnea, headaches, left shoulder rotator cuff tendonitis with degenerative arthritis, lumbar back disability with degenerative arthritis and intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS), and lower left extremity radiculopathy.