Shoulder decisions — 2023

The Board has granted service connection for a right knee disability and a right shoulder disability, finding that the Veteran's conditions were incurred in service.

The Veteran's degenerative joint disease of the right shoulder is related to a period of active duty for training (ACDUTRA) during her service in the Army Reserve. The Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The Board has granted service connection for right knee pain as secondary to a service-connected left lumbosacral radiculopathy, but denied service connection for the Veteran's left shoulder disability due to lack of evidence supporting its onset or causation in service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to new and pertinent VA treatment records and VA examinations being added to the claims file. The AOJ is instructed to review these additional documents in the first instance.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings for various conditions, including knee disabilities, are being remanded due to the need for additional development of his medical records.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate examination in assessing the Veteran's right shoulder disability. A new VA examination is required to determine the current nature and severity of his service-connected right shoulder disability.

The Board has denied earlier effective dates for the grants of service connection for left shoulder strain with degenerative joint disease, neck disorder, and lower back disorder. The Veteran's claims were received on June 18, 2015, and January 28, 2016, respectively.,The Board has also remanded the issues of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), erectile dysfunction, and cognitive impairment secondary to posttraumatic headaches and PTSD.

The Veteran's claim for PTSD was granted, with the Board finding that his service-connected left shoulder disability may have aggravated his right shoulder condition. The Veteran's claim for reopening of a right shoulder condition was also granted.,The Veteran's right shoulder condition is being remanded to obtain additional medical records and to provide an opinion on whether it is at least as likely as not related to his service-connected left shoulder disability.

The Veteran's bilateral foot disability is related to service and granted.,The Veteran's tinnitus is related to service and granted.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and need for further examination. The issues include sinusitis, eye disability, acquired psychiatric disability (claimed as depression), left shoulder disability, low back disability, left hip disability, right hip disability, left leg disability, right leg disability, left knee disability, right knee disability, and left foot disability.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claims for service connection of left knee, left ankle, degenerative arthritis left shoulder, and degenerative arthritis right shoulder conditions. The claim for obstructive sleep apnea is also REMANDED.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate opinions regarding service connection for joint pain and fatigue disorder, including chronic fatigue syndrome. The Veteran is presumed exposed to burn pits during his service in the Southwest Asia theater of operations.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and service connection for right shoulder, lumbar spine, and right knee disabilities are remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations.

The Veteran's left shoulder disability is rated at 20 percent prior to July 28, 2014, and at 30 percent thereafter.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral shoulder disorder is reopened, and the issue of entitlement to an increased rating for his right knee disability is remanded.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and new evidence. The Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral shoulder disability will be reconsidered with additional development.

The Veteran's hearing loss, pinguecula (eyes burning), sleep apnea, hypertension, left shoulder disability, allergies, shin splints, knee pain, and neck disability are all remanded for further examination and opinion. The PACT Act is not applicable to these claims.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for left shoulder disability and sleep apnea due to insufficient evidence regarding their etiology. The case will be returned to the agency of original jurisdiction (AOJ) for further development.

The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's right shoulder disability as secondary to his service-connected cervical spine strain, finding that there was no evidence supporting this theory of service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings are remanded due to incomplete adjudication of his claims, including a lack of consideration of new evidence submitted prior to the expiration of the appeal period. The issues include bilateral knee disability, left shoulder disability, lumbar spine degenerative arthritis, IVDS, radiculopathy in both lower extremities, and TDIU.