Shoulder Board decisions

The Veteran is granted a disability rating of 30 percent for his right shoulder condition, and TDIU is granted.

The Veteran has been granted service connection for degenerative joint disease of the thoracolumbar spine, but his cervical spine disability and arthritis have not met the criteria for service connection.,Service connection was denied as there is no evidence of a chronic condition in service or within one year after separation from service.

The Veteran's service connection claims for residuals of seminoma, anxiety disorder, bilateral knee disabilities, bilateral shoulder disabilities, and low back disability have all been denied. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions are related to the Veteran's active military service or herbicide agent exposure.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current left shoulder disability and therefore, service connection for this condition cannot be established.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current right shoulder disability related to his service and denied service connection for a right shoulder disability. The issue of service connection for pancreatitis is remanded as it was not addressed in the July 2010 rating decision.

The Veteran's right shoulder disability is rated at 20 percent, and his other service-connected conditions do not meet the criteria for a TDIU. The Board finds that he does not have sufficient combined ratings to qualify for a TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including a VA examination to assess the severity of his thoracolumbar disability and shoulder disabilities throughout the time period on appeal.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for polyarthralgia of the lower back, hips, knees, and shoulders has been denied as his disability does not meet the criteria for a higher rating. The TDIU claim has also been denied due to lack of evidence showing that he is unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support higher disability ratings or service connection for any of the claimed conditions.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings for his right shoulder disability and scar was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under applicable diagnostic codes.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board has granted a TDIU based on this finding.

The Veteran's PTSD symptoms have resulted in occupational and social impairment, warranting a 70 percent disability rating. The Veteran is also granted TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's hypertension and GERD were not found to warrant a compensable rating.,For the period prior to August 2, 2011, his GERD did not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation. Since then, it has been rated at 10 percent.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to clarify the etiology of the Veteran's left shoulder disability and to obtain relevant VA medical records. The case will be remanded for further action.

The Veteran's skin conditions and ED are being remanded for additional development to determine their etiology, including whether they are related to herbicide exposure or service-connected PTSD.

The Board found that the Veteran's pre-existing right shoulder condition was not aggravated by his time in service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

Throughout the entire period of appeal, with the exception of a temporary total rating assigned for surgical convalescence, the Veteran's right shoulder disability is manifested by limitation of motion to approximately shoulder level. The Board finds that this does not warrant a higher rating.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a bilateral hip injury, bilateral knee injury, bilateral shoulder injury, groin injury, and PTSD were denied as there is no evidence of in-service injury or chronic disability that may be related to service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated at noncompensable, and the Board finds that a compensable rating is not warranted. The claims for reopening service connection for cervical spine disability and right shoulder nerve disability are denied.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for secondary service connection for a left shoulder condition, finding that it is at least as likely as not aggravated by his service-connected fibromyalgia.