Shoulder Board decisions

The Board has granted service connection for a right knee disability and remanded the issue of service connection for a right shoulder condition.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability is not service-connected, and his left ankle DJD warrants a 10% rating.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral shoulder disability, PTSD, and hypertension. The Veteran's bilateral shoulder disability is related to his military service, his PTSD is linked to in-service stressors, and his hypertension does not appear to be related to his military service.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for gunshot wound residuals, diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy, and tinnitus were denied as there was no evidence to support the claims. The Board found that new and material evidence had not been received to reopen any of these claims.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to insufficient evidence and need for further examination.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine and a rating in excess of 20 percent for left shoulder disability from July 1, 2015 due to insufficient evidence. The Veteran's claim for service connection is based on new and material evidence.

The Veteran's right and left shoulder disabilities are granted, but his tongue cancer is not service-connected due to lack of evidence linking it to in-service exposure.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations and service connection have been remanded due to the failure of VA examinations. The AOJ is instructed to schedule the Veteran for VA examinations to assess his left shoulder, left knee, TBI, radiculopathy, and TDIU.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient medical evidence and a need for further development. The issues include PTSD, depression, hypertension, sinusitis, bilateral pes planus, right hand chemical burn, left knee injury, right tennis elbow and arm pain, bilateral shoulder pain, contusion to the neck, and residuals of a left ankle injury.

The Veteran's appeals for higher initial ratings for his right shoulder postoperative SLAP tear and biceps tear, as well as his lumbar degenerative disc disease, post-operative condition were denied. The Board found that the disability did not warrant a rating in excess of 20 percent.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for left shoulder disability, cervical spine disability, and bronchial asthma as new and material evidence was not received to reopen these claims.

The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his small cell lung cancer was likely caused by his liver cancer, which was presumed to be due to exposure at Camp Lejeune. The decision is based on a presumption of exposure and does not involve direct service connection.

The Board found no current diagnosis of a left shoulder condition and denied the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for left shoulder and right knee disorders are being remanded due to the submission of new evidence that raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating his claims. The Board will seek further medical opinions regarding the etiology of these conditions.

The Board denied service connection for a left shoulder disorder, right shoulder disorder, and an acquired psychiatric disorder as there was no evidence of a chronic condition in service or within one year after service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for right arm tennis elbow and left shoulder and arm disorder, both secondary to his service-connected right shoulder disability, has been granted. The rating for the right shoulder scar is set at 30 percent.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for heart disability, hypertension, cervical spine/ neck disability, low back disability, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral arms and hands, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral legs, bilateral shoulder disability, bilateral hip disability, bilateral knee disability, bilateral ankle disability, bilateral feet disability, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, sleep apnea, thyroid disability, cerebrovascular accident (CVA), and acquired psychiatric disorder to include posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), nervous disorder, anxiety, and depression.

Service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome and a 50 percent rating for PTSD with alcohol dependence are granted. Service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied. Initial ratings in excess of 10 percent for right and left shoulder osteoarthritis are denied.

The Board has granted an extension of a temporary total rating for the Veteran's right shoulder disability beyond July 1, 2011, based on convalescence.

The Board has denied service connection for left shoulder, cervical spine, lumbar spine, and right knee disabilities due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to active duty or service-connected conditions. The case is remanded for further development.