Shoulder decisions — 2023

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to a lack of recent VA treatment records, which may impact the outcome.

The Board has granted service connection for right shoulder impingement syndrome, bicipital tendonitis, rotator cuff tendonitis, rotator cuff tear, and acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis, finding that the evidence is approximately evenly balanced as to whether these disabilities began during active service.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for eczema (lipoma on back) is dismissed due to procedural issues. The appeals for initial ratings in excess of 20 percent for right shoulder strain and left shoulder impingement with rotator cuff tear and AC joint OA are denied. The claims for lumbar spine degenerative arthritis and cervical spine degenerative arthritis are remanded.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for neck, right shoulder, low back, right hip, and bilateral plantar fasciitis disabilities due to service in Bosnia. The VA must obtain a new examination to determine if these conditions are related to service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings of skin cancer excision scars, bilateral hearing loss, and multiple noncompensable disabilities are dismissed. The Board also remanded the Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for service-connected hypertension, as well as his claims for arthritis of various joints.

The Board denied the Veteran's appeal because a timely Notice of Disagreement (NOD) was not received within one year from the date of issuance of the July 2014 rating decision, which denied service connection for a right shoulder condition and PTSD.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for rotator cuff and bicipital tendon repair with degenerative arthritis, right shoulder; shoulder strain, left; and surgical scars, right shoulder are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations to assess current severity.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to procedural issues and the need for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for further development and opinion regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II, and bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy have aggravated his cervical spine, lumbar spine, and right shoulder disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right hip disability is not service-connected due to lack of a causal relationship with his military service, including exposure to toxic substances. The left shoulder disability claim requires further development as the remand directive was not fully addressed in the most recent VA examination.

The Veteran's asthma is granted service connection under the PACT Act, while other conditions are remanded for further examination and opinion.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to lack of new and material evidence for a left eardrum disability. The other issues are being remanded as well.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for rashes has been withdrawn. The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, back injury, bilateral knee injury, and bilateral shoulder injury.

The Board has added new evidence and is remanding the cases for further review by the AOJ.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for service-connected left shoulder disability and left upper extremity paresthesias are being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding flare-ups and functional impairment.

Service connection is granted for left hand strain, left carpal tunnel syndrome, and left shoulder rotator cuff tendonitis.,Service connection is denied for an eye disability (to include retinal injury).

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional examinations and opinions regarding the Veteran's left shoulder disability, including a potential nexus to service-connected degenerative arthritis of the spine with spinal fusion and spinal stenosis of the cervical spine.

The Board has remanded the cases due to failure to comply with previous remand directives regarding a VA examination for right and left shoulder disabilities.

The claim for diabetes mellitus type II due to herbicide exposure was denied as the Veteran did not serve in or near the Korean DMZ during the relevant period. The claims for acquired psychiatric disorder, sleep apnea, right shoulder disability, right knee disability, left knee disability, and low back disability are all remanded for further development.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a left shoulder condition, finding that there was no evidence of in-service injury or disease and concluding that any current left shoulder disability is not related to his military service.