Shoulder Board decisions

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's low back and shoulder disabilities, as well as a need for a new VA examination to assess the functional effects of his bilateral hearing loss disability on daily life.

The Veteran's bilateral shoulder disorder, including a partial rotator cuff tear and degenerative arthritis, is not service-connected. The issues of increased evaluations for left knee disability, right knee disability, lumbar spine disability, PTSD, and TDIU are also denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain verification of service in Southwest Asia and to determine if her claimed conditions are related to such service.

The Veteran's left knee disability is currently rated at 30 percent, and his right shoulder disability remains at a 10 percent rating. Both conditions are not found to warrant higher ratings based on the evidence of record.

The Veteran's service connection claims for degenerative joint disease of the thoracic spine, scar on the left calf, erectile dysfunction, right shoulder disability, gastrointestinal disorder, TMJ, and tinnitus have all been granted.,However, further examination is needed to determine if the Veteran has chronic toenail fungus and/or chronic plantar fasciitis related to his active duty service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unemployable, and the Board has granted a TDIU for the entire appellate period.

The Board has determined that additional evidence is needed to fully and fairly consider the Veteran's claims, including obtaining private medical records and scheduling VA examinations for his service-connected hemorrhoids and low back disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development and readjudication of his claims, including obtaining missing records from a previous claim filed in 1982.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including arthritis of multiple joints and coronary artery disease, rendered him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment prior to September 5, 2013.

The Board has found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are causally related to service, but his right shoulder and left shoulder disabilities were not incurred or aggravated by service.

The Veteran's service-connected right shoulder disabilities prevent him from obtaining or maintaining a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's left shoulder disability is rated at 10 percent, and the claim for service connection for an acquired psychological disability was denied. The cervical spine disability claim has been previously denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, neck disability, and right shoulder disability due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to obtain all pertinent treatment records and to provide the Veteran with a VA examination for his claimed disabilities. The claims are being remanded.

The Board found no evidence of chronic disabilities in service or within the first post-service year, and concluded that any current neck, low back, or right shoulder conditions are not related to service.

The Veteran's claim for a right shoulder disability has been reopened and is being remanded to obtain VA examination.,The Veteran's claims for low back disability, headaches, and gastritis are also being remanded to obtain VA examinations.

The Board found that the Veteran's right and left shoulder disabilities were not related to his military service, thus denying service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal involves multiple issues including service connection for chiari malformation, increases in ratings for psychiatric disability and radiculopathy conditions, as well as increased ratings for cervical spine degenerative disc disease, right shoulder tendonitis, and cervicogenic headaches. The case is being remanded to allow the Veteran to schedule a hearing and for issuance of an SOC regarding the rating for cervicogenic headaches.

The Veteran's PTSD with depressive features is granted, and the claims for right shoulder disorder, right knee disorder, left knee disorder, and lumbar spine disorder are remanded due to procedural defects.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a VA examination.