Shoulder decisions — 2022

The Veteran's right shoulder strain, right knee degenerative arthritis, and left knee degenerative arthritis are all found to be attributable to service.,Tinnitus is also found to be attributable to service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right shoulder disability, to include arthritis, finding that there is no evidence of an in-service injury or disease and that any current disability is more likely related to activities after service than during service.

The Veteran's migraine headaches are rated as noncompensable, effective July 23, 2012. The Board has granted a 50 percent rating for the Veteran's migraine headaches.,The issue of entitlement to a rating in excess of 20 percent for his right shoulder disability is remanded due to inadequate examination.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and an initial rating higher than 20 percent for residuals of a right shoulder SLAP tear. The Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of bilateral hearing loss, and his right shoulder range of motion is not limited to 45 degrees (midway between the side and shoulder).

The Board has decided to remand the claims for further development due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the in-service onset of the Veteran's shoulder disorders.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current knee and elbow conditions are not related to his service, while his left shoulder condition is not related to his service-connected PTSD. The right shoulder condition remains unclear due to a pre-existing condition at entrance into service.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for a TDIU prior to July 3, 2017, finding that his service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment.

Your initial disability rating for right shoulder strain has been granted at a 20 percent level since the effective date of service connection. However, your appeals for other conditions have been dismissed.

The Veteran's bilateral shoulder disorders are related to service.,Service connection for right shoulder osteoarthritis and left shoulder osteoarthritis is granted.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to inadequate addendum opinions and clarification of functional loss during flare-ups or repetitive use over time. The Veteran's representative raised a contention regarding extraschedular consideration, but this is not addressed in detail.

The Veteran's neck disability and right shoulder disability were denied higher ratings. The neck disability was not rated above 10% prior to November 29, 2007, and at 30% thereafter. The right shoulder disability was not rated above 20% prior to February 25, 2013, and from that date forward a rating of 30% was granted.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete development and need for additional medical opinions regarding the appellant's right shoulder disorder.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection of heart disorder, bilateral knee disorder, bilateral hip disorder, respiratory disorder, and bilateral shoulder disorder due to the Veteran's death.

The Board denied compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for a right shoulder disability, finding that the evidence did not support entitlement to this benefit.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate opinions regarding the presence of residuals from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma on January 1, 2018. The Veteran's claim will be reconsidered with appropriate ratings for all identified residuals.

The Veteran's left shoulder disability, which is currently rated at 20 percent, has not been shown to warrant a higher rating as the evidence does not demonstrate limitation of motion to 25 degrees from the side.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a skin disability and vertigo due to lack of substantial compliance with prior remand instructions. The claims are being returned to the RO for further development, including obtaining addendum opinions from VA physicians.

The Board has remanded two issues: entitlement to service connection for a right shoulder disorder and entitlement to service connection for a left knee disorder, which is secondary to the service-connected right knee disability. The Veteran's claims are being remanded due to incomplete medical records and the need for additional VA medical opinions.

The Veteran's petition to reopen the claim for service connection for sleepless nights was granted. The petitions to reopen claims for other conditions were dismissed.

The Board has remanded the cases due to inadequate VA examinations, and new examinations are needed to determine the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected scars.