Shoulder decisions — 2024

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of a left shoulder disability, and thus cannot establish service connection for this condition.

The Board denied service connection for right shoulder bursitis as secondary to left shoulder bursitis and remanded the issue of service connection for degenerative arthritis cervical spine (claimed as cervical spine pain) as secondary to left shoulder bursitis.

The Board has granted service connection for left upper extremity CTS as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected cervical spine condition and granted an effective date of May 18, 2015, for his service connection claim for left shoulder tendonitis. The Veteran is also granted a 20% evaluation for his left shoulder tendonitis.

The Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions are being remanded due to inadequate medical opinions. The Board will seek new opinions to determine if the conditions are related to service.

Service connection for hypercholesterolemia, microscopic hematuria, bilateral hearing loss, tinea versicolor, psoriatic arthritis of the knees, shoulders, and ankles, a bilateral shoulder disability (including psoriatic arthritis and bilateral lateral collateral ligament sprain), and a bilateral ankle disability (including psoriatic arthritis and osteoarthritis) is denied.,The Veteran's hypercholesterolemia and microscopic hematuria are not service-connected as they were preexisting conditions.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings on his left shoulder disability, left shoulder scar, and back disability are being remanded due to a duty to assist error. The appellant is asked to provide authorization for VA to obtain any relevant medical records from Dr. Powers.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for a left shoulder disability was denied due to failure to report for a scheduled examination. The claim of service connection for sleep apnea secondary to PTSD is remanded as the VA opinion provided did not adequately address whether the Veteran's PTSD caused or aggravated his sleep apnea.

The Board has identified errors in the VA examinations and is remanding the case for further examination to ensure that only the correct Veteran's service treatment records are considered.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to inadequate medical opinions and duty-to-assist errors.,Specifically, the VA examiners did not provide sufficient rationale for their conclusions regarding the nature and etiology of the claimed conditions.

The Board granted service connection for various conditions, including lumbar spine disability and bilateral knee condition. The Veteran's obesity was not found to be a compensable disability. Service connection was denied for jaw condition, skin condition (claimed as athletes' foot), bilateral hearing loss, ED secondary to PTSD, TBI, migraine headaches, residual scar of the head/scalp, scar of the lower back, and right shoulder and right foot scars.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for left shoulder and back disabilities due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The Veteran's tinnitus claim is granted.

The Veteran's claims for payment or reimbursement of non-VA medical services provided on November 27, 2019, and November 28, 2019, are granted. The VA facilities were not feasibly available, and an attempt to use them beforehand would have been reasonable, sound, wise, or practical.

The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of an adequate medical opinion regarding the Veteran's current right shoulder/clavicle disability, which may be related to service. The Veteran is seeking service connection for his current condition.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not manifest the necessary conditions for SMC based on the need for regular aid and attendance, as he was able to perform daily activities without requiring assistance from another person.

The Veteran's claims for service connection of various conditions have been remanded due to the need for additional examinations and opinions. The Board found that a higher rating is warranted for bilateral hearing loss, but denied earlier effective dates for service connection of tinnitus and BHL.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for degenerative arthritis of the left shoulder was granted from February 12, 2021. The Board found no legal basis to grant an earlier effective date.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for left and right shoulder conditions due to insufficient medical evidence, requiring a VA examination.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for his left shoulder disability and scar was denied. The Board found that the current ratings adequately reflect the severity of the disabilities.,The Veteran's chronic tonsillitis condition received a non-compensable rating, with no further increase sought.

The Veteran's right pectoralis tear with right shoulder degenerative joint disease and rotator cuff strain is rated at the maximum schedular rating of 30 percent, as there is no evidence of ankylosis or other impairment.,The linear surgical scar in the right pectoral region measures 10 cm x 0.5 cm and does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under Diagnostic Code 7802 due to its small size and lack of pain or instability.,Diabetes mellitus Type II is rated at the minimum noncompensable rating, as it requires restricted diet and/or oral glycemic agent but no daily insulin injection or activity restriction.,Actinic keratosis with chloracne has not covered 20 to 40 percent of the entire body or exposed areas, nor required any systemic treatment.

The Veteran's service-connected CAD likely prevented him from securing or following substantially gainful employment since July 27, 1998. The Board granted a TDIU for this period.