Shoulder decisions — 2023

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a right shoulder disorder has been reopened due to the submission of new evidence. The case is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining Army Reserve records and VA treatment records.

The Board dismissed the claims for service connection due to the appellant's death.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's right shoulder condition and his service. The Veteran is asked to provide a VA examination to determine if his current right shoulder strain is related to an in-service injury or event.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to incomplete information regarding his service stressors and other medical records. The Veteran will be provided another opportunity to provide authorization for additional treatment records, as well as requests for verification of alleged stressors.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings for lumbosacral spondylosis and degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine, as well as right shoulder impingement syndrome with rotator cuff tendonitis, is being remanded due to inadequate addendum opinions from VA examiners.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection of left wrist disability, right shoulder condition, and blood clots as they are not related to military service.

The Board has remanded the service connection claims for left shoulder, right shoulder, lumbar spine, left hip, right hip, and knee disabilities due to additional evidence being associated with the claims file.

The Board has denied service connection for all claimed disabilities, including low back disability, right shoulder disability, left shoulder disability, right hip disability, left hip disability, right knee disability, and left knee disability. The evidence does not support a finding that any of these conditions are related to military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service treatment records are incomplete and have not been obtained. The case is being remanded to obtain these records, as well as any relevant personnel records from his National Guard service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are pending, and the issue of recognizing his spouse as a dependent is remanded due to its inextricability with these other claims.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to non-compliance with prior remands and inadequate examination, and will need a new etiology opinion and examination.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea, due to a Gulf War illness, is denied as there is no evidence of an undiagnosed illness or medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illness. The right shoulder disability and high blood pressure are granted but the right shoulder disability is remanded.,Service connection for the right shoulder disability is granted based on direct service connection. Service connection for high blood pressure secondary to PTSD is also granted.

The Veteran's fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, respiratory disorder (allergic rhinitis and chronic sinusitis), headache disability, cervical spine disability, lumbar spine disability, bilateral shoulder disability, and bilateral knee disability are all granted as service-connected due to exposure to burn pits during his deployment in Southwest Asia. Effective dates will be determined based on the date of receipt of claims.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and consideration of her service-connected conditions.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to inadequate attempts to schedule VA examinations and insufficient evidence regarding Gulf War exposure. The Veteran's symptoms are related to his military service, but further examination is needed to determine if they are linked to toxic exposure.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection of right and left shoulder disabilities are denied. The case is remanded to obtain a more current examination to assess the severity of the service-connected disability.

The Veteran's right shoulder disability, which includes bicipital tendonitis, labral tear including SLAP, glenohumeral joint dislocation, and Hill-Sachs deformity, has not exhibited motion limited to midway between the side and shoulder level at any time during the period on appeal. Therefore, his claim for an initial rating in excess of 20 percent is denied.

The Veteran's left knee disorder is granted service connection as it began during service and has continued since then.,Service connection for right shoulder, left shoulder, back, and neck disorders are denied as there is no evidence of in-service injury or disease.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for cervical spine degenerative arthritis, left shoulder disability, and right elbow disability due to incomplete development of records and examination.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and earlier effective dates have been dismissed as he has withdrawn his appeal.