Shoulder decisions — 2024

The Veteran's service connection claim for degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine is granted. Claims for lumbar spine disorder, right knee disorder, and left knee disorder are remanded due to lack of sufficient evidence.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to address the Veteran's claims for service connection, including due to an undiagnosed illness and other disabilities. The case is being remanded for further examination and opinion.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for tinnitus and left knee strain are dismissed. The Board has granted service connection for the right shoulder disability, finding that it is related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral plantar fasciitis and right shoulder glenohumeral joint osteoarthropathy status post rotator cuff repair due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.

The Board found that the Veteran's right and left shoulder disorders were not incurred or aggravated by service, including during his deployment in Southwest Asia. The evidence did not show a nexus between his current shoulder conditions and his military service.

The Board has determined that the VA examinations provided for the Veteran's cervical spine, left shoulder, left knee, and lower back disabilities were inadequate due to a lack of information on where pain begins during motion. The Board therefore orders remand for further examination.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for several service-connected conditions, including bilateral dry eye disability, migraine headache disability, left shoulder osteoarthritis, left lower extremity radiculopathy, left hip strain, and left hip disability. The Board dismissed the appeal due to the withdrawal of these claims.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for DM has been dismissed.,The Veteran's claims for effective dates prior to May 7, 2019 for the grant of service connection for left ear hearing loss and tinnitus have been denied.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for right shoulder, right hip, right knee, and left knee disabilities are remanded.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for left shoulder arthritis and degenerative joint disease C5-6, C6-7 due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The examiner is required to provide an opinion on whether these conditions are related to service.

The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of adequate opinion regarding secondary service connection for the left shoulder disorder. The Veteran's right knee disability is currently service connected, but his left shoulder disorder may be related to it.

The Board dismissed the appeal of the issues regarding service connection for bilateral shoulder disability, cervical spine disability, and right knee disability due to the appellant's death.

The Veteran's service connection claims for left and right knee disabilities are granted, while the claims for skin, shoulder, and low back conditions are denied. The effective dates for these decisions have not been specified.

The Veteran's left shoulder disability, including degenerative arthritis and acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis, is related to his service in the Airborne units where he performed many jumps. Service connection for this condition is granted.,While the Veteran has a history of sinus symptoms, no current diagnosis of a separate sinus condition other than vasomotor rhinitis was found during the pendency of the claim. Therefore, service connection for a sinus condition (other than service-connected vasomotor rhinitis) is denied.,There are no scars on the Veteran's trunk as diagnosed or noted in his medical records. Service connection for a trunk scar is denied.,The Veteran has been diagnosed with bilateral knee scars during the pendency of the claim, and these were not related to service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including panic disorder, bilateral shoulder disabilities, and left knee disabilities, have rendered him unable to obtain or maintain gainful employment from September 27, 2016, to October 11, 2022. The Board has granted a total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU) for this period.

The Board has granted service connection for diagnosed right shoulder strain, left shoulder strain, lumbar strain, and cervical spine disability characterized by painful limited motion. The Veteran's symptoms of pain and limited range of motion have been recurrent since his military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for recurrent cervical, lumbar, and right shoulder disabilities due to a lack of adequate VA examinations. The claims will be reviewed with new evidence.

The Board has granted service connection for a left shoulder disability effective from September 5, 2019. The Veteran's initial claim was denied in March 2016 due to lack of new and material evidence, but the claim was reopened on September 5, 2019.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left shoulder conditions, as well as his psychiatric disability (including anxiety, depression, and PTSD), and neck condition. The claims are being remanded to obtain additional medical opinions regarding these issues.,Service connection was not granted because there is no evidence of a current disability in the Veteran's shoulders or mental health conditions that can be linked to his military service.

The Board has denied service connection for left hip and right hip disorders, but has remanded the issue of service connection for a right shoulder disorder due to duty-to-assist error.

The Veteran's right shoulder condition is currently rated at 20 percent, but the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted. The evidence does not show limitation of motion to less than 70 degrees flexion or abduction, even during flare-ups.