Shoulder decisions — 2024

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for neck disability, headaches, hernia disability, sleep apnea, bruxism, left knee disability, right knee disability, and left shoulder disability. The Board found no evidence of current disabilities or in-service events that would support these claims.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and earlier effective dates for his service-connected left shoulder scars, cervical strain, and lumbar spine disability. The medical evidence did not support higher ratings under applicable diagnostic codes.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal in its entirety, requesting the immediate withdrawal of all issues on appeal including unspecified depressive disorder with insomnia disorder, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral shoulder condition (previously diagnosed as left acromioclavicular joint separation and right pectoralis tendon rupture), and right knee condition.

The Veteran's right shoulder disability is rated at 40 percent effective October 23, 2020. The left shoulder disability remains rated at 20 percent.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to procedural errors and inadequate medical opinions. The issues of entitlement to service connection for headaches, left shoulder disorder, right shoulder disorder, and left hip disorder are being reviewed.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including right and left ankle arthralgia, a sleep disorder, an acquired psychiatric disorder, left shoulder osteoarthritis, right knee disability, right hip OA, left hip OA, cervical spine disability, and hearing loss have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of service connection for any of these conditions.,The Veteran's claims were remanded for further action on his hypertension and GERD/hiatal hernia.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for insomnia, anxiety, depression, hypertension, headaches, and bilateral shoulder pain have been denied. The Board found that the submitted evidence did not provide new and relevant information to support these claims.

The Board has dismissed the service connection claim for a low back disability as moot because it was granted in a previous decision. The right shoulder disability claim is granted based on evidence showing its onset during active duty service.

The Veteran's claim for tinnitus has been granted, and the Board is dismissing it. The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss disability, right shoulder disability, right elbow disability, right hip disability, and right knee disability are being remanded due to procedural errors in obtaining medical opinions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for an initial evaluation higher than 10 percent for various service-connected disabilities, including degenerative arthritis of the knees and lumbar spine, left elbow bursitis, and rotator cuff tendonitis of the shoulder. The remand is due to inadequate examination reports that do not provide specific findings regarding range of motion loss due to pain.

The Board has remanded the case due to a duty to assist error and will consider whether the Veteran's left shoulder disability is aggravated by his service-connected right shoulder.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for right shoulder condition as secondary to right upper extremity carpal tunnel syndrome, now including right carpal instability, is being remanded due to the submission of new and relevant evidence. The Board finds that an addendum opinion addressing whether the service-connected disability could have aggravated the Veteran's diagnosed right shoulder strain is necessary.

The Veteran's left shoulder condition is remanded due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error and the need for an addendum medical opinion regarding the etiology of his condition.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for neck strain, substance/medication-induced anxiety disorder, right subacromial/subdeltoid bursitis (claimed as shoulder condition), and right hallux valgus have been denied. The current ratings are considered appropriate based on the evidence of record.

The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence has been received to readjudicate the claims of service connection for right shoulder disorder and left shoulder disorder. The claims are being remanded for further development.

The Board denied service connection for a left shoulder condition, finding no probative medical evidence that indicates the Veteran's current left shoulder condition was incurred during active duty service or during the presumptive period after discharge.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate rationale in a previous VA medical opinion regarding whether the service-connected lumbar spine disability caused or aggravated the right shoulder disability. The Veteran's claim for secondary service connection is now remanded for further evaluation.

The Board has remanded the claims for chronic fatigue syndrome, joint pain of the lower back, right wrist, left wrist, right knee, left knee, right shoulder, and left shoulder. The Veteran's Raynaud's syndrome, Scleroderma disease, and Sjogren's disease are also being remanded.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral knee and shoulder disabilities due to insufficient evidence in the record.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 20 percent for his left shoulder disability was denied as the evidence did not show that his range of motion was functionally limited to 25 degrees or less at any time over the period on appeal.