Shoulder Board decisions

The Board has determined that the injuries sustained in January 1984 were incurred in the line of duty and not due to willful misconduct, thus granting service connection for these disabilities.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability, PTSD, and left knee arthritis. The Board denied service connection for left elbow disability and left shoulder disability.

The Veteran's service connection claim for a left shoulder disability was denied as there is no evidence of a current chronic disability that can be linked to his in-service injury. The Board found the Veteran did not have a qualifying chronic disability under 38 C.F.R. § 3.317.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including issuance of Statements of the Case and scheduling a videoconference hearing. The issues include rating an increased disability for bilateral pes planus, service connection for various disabilities, and review of a reduction in rating for plantar fasciitis.

The Veteran's service-connected right knee strain and acromioclavicular (shoulder) DJD do not prevent him from engaging in substantially gainful employment consistent with his level of education and occupational experience.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for his left shoulder disability is granted, with a rating of 10 percent effective from March 11, 2013.

The Board has remanded the case due to the Veteran's failure to appear at a scheduled travel board hearing. The claims are now pending for further action.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for chronic lumbar strain, bilateral knee degenerative joint disease (DJD), right shoulder disorders including osteoarthritis and impingement, and bilateral ankle arthritis. The diagnoses were not deemed to be related to service.

The Board has determined that additional examinations are needed for the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability, hypothyroidism, and left shoulder tendonitis. The claims will be remanded to allow for these evaluations.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining a supplemental opinion from the March 2015 examiner regarding whether his service-connected disabilities have aggravated his left shoulder, left ankle, and right ankle disabilities.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for right knee disability, right shoulder disability, and low back disability. The Board found that there was no evidence of a chronic condition in service or post-service continuity of symptomatology.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to address service connection claims for cervical spine disability, left shoulder disability, right shoulder disability, and bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including scheduling a videoconference hearing at the RO.

The Board has decided that additional development is needed before the claim for service connection for a right shoulder disability can be adjudicated.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to his failure to appear for a scheduled hearing. His claims for increased ratings for shoulder disabilities remain in appellate status.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 50 percent, but the Board found that it does not warrant a higher rating. The claims for left knee disorder, lumbar spine disorder, and left shoulder disorder were all denied as they are not service-connected.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current left and right shoulder disabilities did not manifest in service or within the first post-service year, nor are they etiologically related to service. Service connection on a secondary basis is also not warranted.

The Board found no evidence of a direct relationship between the Veteran's current left shoulder and rib conditions and his service, thus denying the claims.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for a right shoulder disability. The issue is being referred back to the AOJ for further action.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including new VA examinations to assess the current severity of his service-connected thoracic and lumbar spine degenerative arthritis with thoracic spine dextrorotoscoliosis, left ankle sprain and left Achilles calcaneal spur, restless leg syndrome, and right shoulder strain.