Shoulder decisions — 2023

The Board has determined that the claims for post traumatic headaches, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, left shoulder strain, right shoulder strain, shin splits (right lower extremity), and shin splits (left lower extremity) need to be remanded due to new evidence being added to the record.

The Board has denied service connection for left and right shoulder conditions, finding no evidence of a nexus to service. The back condition is remanded due to insufficient medical opinion.

The Board denied service connection for left and right shoulder disorders, finding that the conditions did not have onset in service or within a year of separation therefrom, and are not otherwise etiologically related to service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation prior to January 4, 2021.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral elbow lateral epicondylitis. The remaining issues of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, residuals of injury to right pinky finger with limitation of motion, and a bilateral shoulder disability are being remanded.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to the need for additional examinations and evaluations, particularly regarding TBI-related disabilities.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal before the Board could make a decision on his claims for service connection.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings, service connection, and other issues are remanded due to the need for additional development including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations.

The Veteran's hepatitis C and hair loss claims are remanded due to inadequate medical opinions.,The Veteran's OSA claim is remanded as the examiner failed to consider her prior sleep disturbances.,The Veteran's hypertension claim is remanded because the examiner did not provide a rationale for denying secondary service connection.,The Veteran's gastrointestinal disorder claim is remanded due to insufficient consideration of medical literature cited by the Veteran’s representative.,The Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus claims are remanded as the examination results were inconsistent and the examiner failed to address relevant medical literature.,The Veteran's dizziness claim is remanded because the examiner did not consider whether her dizziness was a symptom of her service-connected headache disability or a separate disorder.,The Veteran's cervical spine, left hand, bilateral shoulder, hip, knee, and foot disabilities claims are all remanded due to inadequate examination reports that failed to address relevant medical literature and symptoms.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for neck and left shoulder disabilities, finding that there was no evidence of a current disability related to in-service injury or disease. The Board also found that these conditions were not secondary to any service-connected disabilities.,Service connection is not granted as there is insufficient evidence linking the claimed disabilities to active service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected disabilities, finding that his service-connected conditions did not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has granted service connection for lumbar spine degenerative disc disease and spinal stenosis, xeroderma of the hands, perforated duodenal ulcer (gastrointestinal disability), and GERD. Service connection was denied for bilateral hearing loss, right shoulder disability, and erectile dysfunction.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and need for further examination.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for migraines, bilateral flat feet, a bilateral shoulder condition, asthma, cervical spine condition, thoracolumbar spine condition, and bilateral knee conditions are being remanded as further medical examination is needed to determine the nature and cause of these disabilities.,Your current hearing loss disability is currently rated as noncompensable. The Veteran's claim for an increased rating remains denied.

The Board has granted service connection for right hip and left shoulder osteoarthritis, finding that the Veteran's symptoms are related to his active duty service.

The Veteran's PTSD is found to be related to his active service.,The Veteran's headaches are found to be related to his service-connected cervical spine disability.,The Veteran's TBI is found to be related to his active service.,The Veteran's right shoulder disability is found to be related to his active service.,The Veteran's left ear hearing loss is found to be related to his active service.,The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be related to his active service.

The Veteran's SMC based on housebound status is denied as he does not have a single service-connected disability rated at 100% or TDIU due to a single service-connected disability.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral shoulder disabilities and a lower back disability have been reopened. Service connection has been granted for these conditions. The claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD and depression, is remanded.

The Board found no evidence of the claimed disabilities during service or within one year post-service, and thus denied all claims for service connection.

The Veteran's claims for left shoulder condition, diabetes mellitus, type II, and acquired psychiatric disorder have been reopened. However, the claim to reopen for sleep condition, hepatitis C, and hypertension has not been successful.,Entitlement to a disability rating in excess of 20 percent for sensory and motor neuropathy of the right lower extremity is denied.