Shoulder Board decisions

The Board granted service connection for bruxism, a lumbosacral strain, a left shoulder strain, and bilateral blepharitis but denied service connection for hypertension, hearing loss, a neck strain, costochondritis, and a right shoulder sprain.

The Board granted an initial 20 percent disability rating for the Veteran's left shoulder disability prior to August 30, 2023, but denied a higher rating since that date.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for various disabilities, including a back disability, left ankle disability, left knee disability, left shoulder disability, and psychiatric disorder, due to inadequate medical opinions.

The appeals for increased ratings and other claims were dismissed as moot or not meeting the criteria.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability, finding no evidence of a current qualifying disability. The other claims were remanded for further development.

The Board remands the issues of entitlement to initial ratings higher than 20 percent for left and right shoulder strain disability due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error in not obtaining relevant SSA records.

The Board remands the claim for a right shoulder disability to obtain an addendum opinion regarding whether it is at least as likely as not aggravated by service-connected disabilities.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for low back, bilateral shoulder, and bilateral knee disabilities as additional evidence needs to be obtained.

The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and dismissed the appeals for other conditions including right shoulder disability, right ear hearing loss, left upper molar problem in service cracked root, right foot condition (claimed as inflammation to bilateral feet), left foot condition (claimed as inflammation to bilateral feet), right elbow problem with inflammation, sleep apnea, erectile dysfunction secondary to PTSD, and initial compensable rating for left ear hearing loss.

The Board granted service connection for an undiagnosed illness manifested by fatigue, joint pain, and muscle aches, as well as for a right shoulder strain. However, it denied claims for compensable ratings for tension headaches, chronic sinusitis, and dermatitis.

The Board remands the claim for a left shoulder disorder to obtain an adequate medical opinion addressing the Veteran's contention that his weighted vest injured his shoulder and whether his service-connected back disability could aggravate his shoulder condition.

The Board granted a disability rating of 30 percent, but no higher, for chronic laryngitis with hoarseness status post right true vocal cord polyp excision and remanded the issue of entitlement to a disability rating in excess of 20 percent for left shoulder degenerative arthritis other than post-traumatic with tendinosis.

The appeal of whether a timely request for Higher-Level Review was received for the March 2014 denial of entitlement to service connection for tinnitus and right shoulder disability is denied.

The Board remands the matter for an additional examination to assess the nature and etiology of the Veteran's right shoulder disability, as the May 2018 VA examiner's opinion was found inadequate due to missing treatment records from August 2010.

The Board granted an additional 10 percent for one or more scars that are both unstable and painful, but denied a rating higher than 20 percent for service-connected painful and unstable left arm and shoulder scars.

The Board granted service connection for migraine headaches and denied service connection for left shoulder synovitis, cervical spine strain, anterior right upper chest scar, right shoulder acromioclavicular joint separation, and right shoulder limitation of motion.

The Board denied service connection for all claimed conditions as there was no evidence of a current disability related to the Veteran's active duty service.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and right and left shoulder disabilities due to an inadequate medical opinion.

The Board granted service connection for calcific tendonitis of the left elbow, finding it had its onset during active service. The other claims were remanded for further development.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for chronic headaches, chronic sinusitis, left shoulder condition, right shoulder condition, cervical condition, and TBI, to include any residuals thereof, as additional medical evidence is needed.