Shoulder Board decisions

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral shoulder disability is not related to his active duty service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his service-connected right knee, left knee, right shoulder, and right ankle disabilities have been denied. The RO found that the evidence did not support a higher evaluation based on functional impairment or additional limitation due to pain.

The Veteran is seeking higher disability ratings for his service-connected mental health and musculoskeletal conditions. The Board has determined that additional examinations are needed to assess the current severity of these disabilities, as well as obtaining any outstanding VA and private treatment records.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current left shoulder disability related to service and therefore, denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is now rated at 20 percent, effective from August 2013. His left shoulder DJD has been granted service connection.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeal, and the case is dismissed.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and left shoulder impingement syndrome, make him unable to obtain substantially gainful employment. The Board finds that his TDIU claim is granted.

The Board finds that the Veteran's bilateral Achilles tendonitis, left shoulder disorder, bilateral hearing loss disability (left ear), tinnitus, left wrist arthritis, and left rib disorder are all related to service. The decision is granted.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for various disabilities, including hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as his claims for other conditions. The effective dates assigned were December 20, 2010.

The Veteran's left shoulder disability, including any related to his service-connected left arm disability, has been rated at 20 percent since the filing of his claim. However, a review of the evidence shows that he is entitled to an increased rating to 40 percent for this period.

The Board finds that the Veteran's low back disability is related to service and grants service connection for it. However, there is no evidence of a right shoulder disorder during or after service, so service connection for this condition is denied.

The Veteran's appeal for an initial compensable evaluation for service-connected degenerative arthritis, left shoulder was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating prior to December 16, 2014, and as of December 16, 2014, it met the criteria for a 20 percent evaluation under Diagnostic Code 5201.

The Veteran's appeal is granted, with a combined disability rating of 80 percent for ankylosing spondylitis and associated lower extremity disabilities. The issues of increased ratings for limitation of abduction of the bilateral hips and sensory deficit of the bilateral lower extremities are addressed in the remand portion.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals of the denial of service connection for sleep apnea, left shoulder disability, right hand and finger numbness, and left hand and finger numbness. The appeals were also dismissed for increased ratings for PTSD, TBI, headache, right shoulder, right shoulder scar, and hearing loss.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed left knee, lumbosacral spine, left shoulder, peripheral artery disease, and mental disorder conditions are not service-connected as they are not shown to be related to his military service.

The Board finds that the Veteran's low back, neck, and shoulder disabilities are not related to service. The preponderance of evidence is against finding a link between these conditions and military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including scheduling VA examinations and obtaining medical opinions to determine the severity of his service-connected conditions and their etiology.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the AOJ for scheduling a video conference hearing due to his failure to appear at the previously scheduled hearing.

The Board has determined that the reduction in rating from 30 percent to 10 percent for post left shoulder arthroscopic surgery, effective January 1, 2009, was proper. The Veteran's condition improved by this time and his current arm motion is not limited to lower than shoulder level.