Shoulder decisions — 2024

The Veteran's right shoulder disability has been rated at 20 percent since July 31, 2012. The Board found that the evidence showed painful motion of his right shoulder throughout the appeal period and granted a 20 percent rating for this condition. However, the case is remanded due to the need for another VA examination to assess the current severity of the disability.

The Veteran's claim for PTSD is granted. The claim for a disability involving the tailbone is denied. The claims for right shoulder, left shoulder, right foot, left foot, right hip, left hip, right knee, and left knee disabilities are remanded.

For the period prior to January 30, 2020, a 10 percent rating for right knee disability is granted.,For the entire period on appeal (including from January 30, 2020 onwards), a higher rating than 10 percent for right knee disability is denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, right shoulder impingement, and tinnitus, have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment. The Board has granted a TDIU based on these conditions.

The Board has denied service connection for right shoulder, left shoulder, bilateral plantar fasciitis, bilateral pes planus, and tinnitus as the evidence does not support a finding that these conditions are related to service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to outstanding private medical records and missing service treatment records. The Veteran is considered a Persian Gulf veteran, and additional opinions are needed regarding his diagnoses of right shoulder strain, left shoulder strain, right knee strain, and patellofemoral syndrome.

The Veteran's claims for psychiatric disabilities, bilateral hearing loss, and right shoulder disability are being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding their onset and etiology.

The Board has remanded the claims of entitlement to service connection for a low back disability, right knee disability, and right shoulder disability due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the etiology of these conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for right shoulder AC joint arthropathy with impingement and facet degeneration of the lumbar spine, finding that the Veteran's conditions began during active service and are causally related to his military service.

The Veteran's right shoulder disability is rated at 40 percent, and the right ankle sprain is rated at 10 percent. The claims for service connection are remanded.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology and pathophysiology of the Veteran's musculoskeletal disabilities, which may be related to his exposure to environmental hazards during service. The VA will obtain new medical opinions addressing these issues.

The Veteran's right shoulder condition, post-labral tear repair, does not meet the criteria for a higher initial rating than 20 percent.

The Veteran's claims for glaucoma and temporomandibular joint dysfunction have been dismissed as the Veteran withdrew these claims during a hearing.,New evidence has reopened previously denied claims for tinnitus, an acquired psychiatric disability (including PTSD), congestive heart failure, atrial fibrillation, COPD, chronic renal insufficiency, hypertension, prostate cancer, bilateral hearing loss, left knee disability, and right knee disability.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for bilateral ankle, shoulder, and back disabilities was dismissed due to the failure to timely file a VA Form 10182 within one year of the December 1997 rating decision.

The Board has granted service connection for left knee strain and right shoulder impingement syndrome, finding that the current diagnoses are related to military service.

The Board has granted service connection for right shoulder rotator cuff tendonitis, tear, and osteoarthritis as well as right testicular hydrocele. The decision is based on the Veteran's in-service injuries and the continuity of symptoms since service.

The Board has granted earlier effective dates of February 22, 2017 for both the TDIU and DEA benefits based on the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee and left shoulder conditions due to a duty-to-assist error. The Veteran is presumed to have entered service in sound condition, but VA medical opinions are needed to address whether his current disabilities were caused or aggravated by periods of active duty, ADT, or IDT.

The Board has granted service connection for lumbar spine degenerative disc disease and remanded the issues of service connection for recurrent right hip disorder, recurrent left hip disorder, and recurrent left shoulder disability.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from securing and maintaining substantially gainful employment prior to April 1, 2016. Therefore, the claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) is denied. The Veteran also does not meet the criteria for basic eligibility to Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits under 38 U.S.C. Chapter 35 prior to April 1, 2016.