Shoulder decisions — 2023

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for his right shoulder disorder, finding that it is related to his military service and resolving all doubt in his favor.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevented him from securing or maintaining substantially gainful employment prior to September 16, 2020.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and initial rating determinations due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the relationship between his current disabilities and his military service. The issues include right hip, ankle, shoulder, wrist, and knee disabilities.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a right shoulder disability, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between his current condition and active duty service.

The Veteran's left shoulder disability is at least as likely as not related to a 1993 in-service injury and subsequent experiences of carrying rucksacks and heavy lifting related to a deployment to Afghanistan in 2012, leading to service connection for the condition.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been granted for various conditions, including arthritis of the hands, OSA, PFB, prostate cancer, right shoulder arthritis, and degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine. The remaining issues are being remanded.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, is being remanded for further examination and opinion.,The Veteran's left ankle strain, cervical spine degenerative arthritis, and right shoulder strain with degenerative arthritis are also being remanded for further examination and opinion.

The Veteran's appeal of the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been withdrawn. The claims for service connection for a left knee disorder, right ankle disorder, and asthma have been reopened based on new evidence received since the August 1995 denial. Service connection is granted for degenerative joint disease of the left knee and asthma.

The Veteran's hypertension is granted on a presumptive basis due to herbicide agent exposure. The appeal for TDIU prior to July 7, 2009 is dismissed as moot.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his thoracolumbar spine disability and multiple joint conditions, prevent him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment. The Board has granted a total disability evaluation based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Veteran's claim for service connection for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) was denied. The Board found that there is no current TBI and the lay reports were not competent to establish the existence of a current disability. For the issue of total disability rating based upon individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities prior to September 14, 2015, the Veteran's combined schedular disability rating did not meet the minimum requirements for consideration under 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(a). The Board found that the Veteran was unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation due to his service-connected disabilities prior to September 14, 2015.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's current left shoulder disorder is related to his military service. The Veteran contends that he injured his shoulder while lifting a tent, and VA records support this claim. However, the VA examiner found no chronicity of care since 2011 and opined against a causal relationship between the in-service injury and current symptoms.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right shoulder disability is etiologically related to an injury incurred during active-duty service, and therefore grants entitlement to direct service connection for this condition.

The Board has remanded the cases for further examination and development due to outstanding VA treatment records and incomplete factual evidence.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus. The remaining issues on appeal are remanded due to procedural errors and the need for additional examinations.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his psychiatric condition and various musculoskeletal issues, did not preclude him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment. The Board found that the Veteran had a solid foundation for employment based on his education and work history, despite some limitations due to his disabilities.

The Board has determined that there is insufficient evidence to establish the Veteran's high blood pressure, right shoulder condition, and hernia as being related to his military service. The claims are therefore remanded for further development.

The Board has denied service connection for right shoulder, cervical spine, bilateral hip, and thyroid disorders due to lack of evidence showing a link between these conditions and the Veteran's active service.

The Veteran's right shoulder disability, prior to January 6, 2017 and as of May 1, 2017, did not meet the criteria for a higher rating than 20 percent.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a left shoulder disability and bilateral hearing loss were denied. The claim for increased rating of the back disability was granted with a 40 percent rating prior to June 9, 2021, but denied thereafter.