Shoulder decisions — 2024

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for sinus disability, left shoulder disability, and cervical spine (neck) disability due to additional development being necessary.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is granted. The Board finds that the Veteran has a diagnosis of PTSD related to his in-service stressors and grants this claim. Other claims are remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has denied service connection for left foot numbness and remanded the issue of service connection for right shoulder condition.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and TDIU prior to February 14, 2018 have been dismissed because the Veteran has withdrawn his appeal from the 'legacy' system and not yet perfected an appeal in the modernized (AMA) system.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral wrist disabilities, cervical spine disability, and left shoulder disability due to an undiagnosed illness. The reasons include a lack of in-service evidence and the need for addendum medical opinions considering the Veteran's allegations of rigorous activity during service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for lumbar spine and right shoulder disabilities due to inadequate medical opinions. The Veteran is seeking service connection based on his in-service duties, but the VA examiners did not adequately consider this evidence.

The Board has determined that there are outstanding records and needs to obtain them for proper evaluation of the Veteran's claims. The issues include determining appropriate ratings, establishing service connection, and increasing the rating for Meniere's syndrome.

The Veteran's right shoulder, chest, and arm muscle injury is rated at 30 percent. The Veteran's peroneal nerve damage to the right foot and leg is now rated at 20 percent.,The Veteran's increased ratings for both conditions are granted.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's right shoulder disability is not service-connected, but has remanded the issue of his left shoulder disability for further evaluation.

The Board denied the Veteran's motions to revise or reverse the June 7, 2007 rating decisions for painful motion of the right shoulder, left hip, and migraine headaches due to lack of clear and unmistakable error.

The Veteran's appeal for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is denied. The Board has remanded several issues including service connection for various disabilities due to missing STRs and incomplete VA treatment records.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for sinusitis is denied, and his claims for TDIU prior to September 21, 2018 are also denied. His TDIU from September 21, 2018 is moot due to the grant of SMC at the S-1 level.

The Veteran's appeals were dismissed due to his death. No service connection decisions were made.

Your claims for earlier effective dates for service connection of unspecified anxiety disorder, left shoulder strain to include degenerative arthritis, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) have been dismissed as the Veteran is already in receipt of these benefits from October 1, 2005.,Your claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of left foot Morton's neuroma and metatarsalgia has also been dismissed. You are currently receiving this benefit since October 1, 2005.

The Veteran's neck and upper back disabilities, as well as her left upper extremity radiculopathy, are granted service connection.,However, the Veteran's right upper extremity radiculopathy, left lower extremity radiculopathy, right lower extremity radiculopathy, and right shoulder condition do not meet the criteria for service connection.

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, OSA, and right shoulder disorder due to issues with notification of VA examinations and lack of current diagnoses or etiology.

The Veteran's TDIU claim after June 5, 2017 is denied because his right shoulder disability does not render him unemployable.

The Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions, including diabetes mellitus type II and erectile dysfunction secondary to DMII, are granted. However, the claims for cervical spine disability, lumbar spine disability, left shoulder disability, right shoulder disability, left hip disability, right hip disability, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and headache disability are remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.

The Veteran's appeal for a rating of more than 30 percent since October 1, 2019, for his right shoulder disorder is dismissed due to procedural issues.

The Veteran's claims for an increased rating for his right shoulder disability and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations to assess the severity of his condition.