Shoulder decisions — 2022

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his right shoulder disability is being remanded due to the need for additional evidence and an opinion on functional impairment.

The Board has determined that the VA examinations provided were not in compliance with previous remand directives and have ordered new opinions to address the Veteran's lay statements regarding his service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied service connection for a left shoulder disability, finding that the current diagnoses were not related to service or any service-connected conditions. The Board also denied service connection for a left wrist carpal tunnel disability as secondary to service-connected cervical spine and lumbar spine disabilities.

The Board has found that additional development is needed to ensure all relevant records are associated with the claims file and for a retrospective medical opinion regarding the Veteran's cervical spine disability. The appeal will be remanded for these purposes.

The Board has remanded the claims due to inadequate examinations and the need for updated evaluations of the Veteran's right knee, lumbosacral spine, and left shoulder disabilities. The Veteran is also seeking service connection for a left shoulder disability.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical opinion regarding the Veteran's right shoulder disorder. The Veteran is seeking service connection for a right shoulder disorder, which he claims was caused by lifting heavy ammunition rounds during active service.

The Veteran's thoracic and cervical spine disabilities, left knee limitations of flexion and extension, and left shoulder disability are granted effective July 12, 2010.,The Veteran's cervical spine disability is granted an effective date of December 23, 2009.

The Board has withdrawn the Veteran's appeals for left shoulder, left elbow, and right elbow disabilities. The claims for service connection of left knee and right knee disabilities have been reopened due to new and material evidence.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for arthritis of multiple joints, including as secondary to his service-connected multilevel degenerative disc disease with degenerative joint disease of the spine and degenerative spurring of the lower extremities (knees). The case is being returned for additional development.

The Board has found that there has not been substantial compliance with the previous remand directives and thus requires another remand for additional development, including obtaining retrospective opinions on the Veteran's service-connected cervical spine, thoracolumbar spine, and right shoulder disability.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that his service-connected disabilities did not cause or aggravate his obesity, which is a contributing factor to his sleep apnea.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for right shoulder disability, neck disability, right leg disability (including degenerative joint disease of the right hip), and back disability due to the need for additional development.

The Board has granted service connection for temporomandibular joint disorder. The claims for migraine headaches and right shoulder disorder are remanded due to conflicting evidence and the need for additional opinions.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left hip disabilities, as well as unspecified arthritis of the cervical, bilateral shoulder, and bilateral elbow joints. The issues of entitlement to service connection for right and left knee disabilities are remanded.

The Board has remanded several claims for further development, including those related to the Veteran's right eye pterygium, respiratory condition (asthma), cervical spine disability, left shoulder condition, hypertension, bilateral upper extremities numbness and cramps, dental issues, and PTSD. The claims are being returned to the RO for additional medical opinions.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and examination, including verifying in-service stressors and obtaining VA examinations to clarify diagnoses and determine etiology.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a cervical spine disorder and a bilateral shoulder disorder, finding no nexus between these conditions and his military service.

The Board has remanded the claims for fibromyalgia, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), dysphonia, cervical spine disorder, thoracolumbar spine disorder, right shoulder disorder, left shoulder disorder, right knee disorder, and left knee disorder due to insufficient medical opinions provided by the July 2021 VA examiner.

The Veteran's sleep apnea, GERD with Barrett's esophagus, bilateral shoulder condition, and bilateral osteoarthritis of AC joints are denied as there is no evidence linking these conditions to service.,The Veteran's left bicep condition is remanded for a VA examination to determine if it is related to military service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected. High cholesterol and psychiatric disorders are denied. The remaining claims for service connection are remanded due to the need for additional VA examinations.