Shoulder decisions — 2023

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings have been withdrawn. The Board has also remanded several issues related to service connection and rating criteria due to the need for additional medical examinations or studies.

The Board dismissed the appeal for service connection of whiplash injuries to the shoulders and granted a TDIU rating from September 9, 2020.

The Veteran's hypertension is granted as secondary to his service-connected schizophrenia with cocaine use disorder.,Service connection for left shoulder disability, heart disability, and TBI and residuals thereof are denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to missing service treatment records and insufficient evidence regarding his claimed disabilities. The Veteran is seeking service connection for right eye, right hand, and bilateral shoulder disabilities.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient information about the qualifications of a VA examiner who provided an opinion on the Veteran's left shoulder disorder. The RO is instructed to obtain and provide this information.

The Veteran's chronic lumbar spine, cervical spine, left elbow, and left ankle disabilities are found to be due to his honorable service. The Board has granted service connection for these conditions.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for left and right shoulder disabilities due to inadequate opinions regarding secondary service connection.

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss is rated at zero percent, as the evidence does not support a compensable rating.,The Veteran's left shoulder subacromial bursitis is currently rated at twenty percent. The Board has remanded this issue for further development.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings were dismissed as he withdrew his appeal in writing.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to incomplete medical records and the need for further examinations. The claims will be reconsidered after these steps are completed.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation since August 25, 2009.

The Veteran's left shoulder rotator cuff tendonitis, cardiovascular disability (including hypertensive heart disease, persistent tachycardia, and left ventricular hypertrophy), and hypertension were not shown as chronic in service or within the applicable presumptive period.,While the Veteran has current diagnoses of a cardiovascular disability and hypertension, there is no evidence showing that these conditions began during service or are otherwise related to an in-service injury, event, or disease. The Board finds that continuity of symptomatology cannot be established for these disabilities as they were not noted during service.,The Veteran's left shoulder rotator cuff tendonitis was shown during service and has been linked to a current diagnosis based on post-service treatment records.

The petition to reopen the previously-denied claim for service connection for a right shoulder disorder is granted. The petition to reopen the previously-denied claim for service connection for a right wrist disorder is denied.

The Veteran's service-connected right shoulder disability did not prevent him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment, so his claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) was denied.

The Board denied service connection for left knee, right shoulder, lumbar spine, cervical spine, and left shoulder disabilities as they are not related to service or a service-connected disability.

The Board has granted service connection for right hip, left hip, right knee, and left knee degenerative arthritis status-post joint replacement. The issues of entitlement to service connection for neck disability and shoulder disabilities are remanded.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for right shoulder and left knee disabilities due to inadequate VA examination opinions. The Veteran is entitled to a new, adequate VA examination addressing all of his current right shoulder conditions and left knee findings.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, a bilateral eye condition, a left shoulder condition, a left arm condition, a bilateral hip condition, vertigo, and kidney stones. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions are related to military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for headaches, a back condition, a neck condition, and a left shoulder condition due to insufficient evidence. The Court found that the Board erred by relying on an outdated VA opinion and failed to address whether the Veteran's migraine headaches are encompassed within his cervicogenic headaches.

The Veteran's appeals for higher ratings on right shoulder strain, right knee disability, unspecified anxiety disorder, and entitlement to a TDIU have been dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeals.