Shoulder Board decisions

The Veteran has withdrawn the appeals for service connection and rating claims, and they are hereby dismissed.

The Board remands the claim for service connection for a right shoulder disorder due to new and relevant evidence that was not previously part of the record.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, an increased rating for generalized anxiety disorder with depression (GAD), and a compensable rating for pseudofolliculitis barbae. The claims for service connection for chronic left knee pain, chronic right knee pain, low back pain, neurogenic erectile dysfunction, onychomycosis, and pain and dysfunction of the right shoulder were remanded.

The Board denied service connection for sinus, headache, right shoulder, left knee, and obstructive sleep apnea disabilities as the evidence did not support a finding of current diagnoses or a link to service.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral degenerative hip disability, chronic chest pain, left shoulder disability, and lumbar back pain as the evidence did not support a finding of current disabilities related to active military service.

The Board granted a 70 percent disability rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and a 30 percent disability rating for bilateral pes planus. The claims for increased ratings for right hip degenerative arthritis and femoral acetabular impingement syndrome, lumbosacral strain, and service connection for radiculopathy were denied.

The Board denied earlier effective dates for service connection and higher ratings for various disabilities, including degenerative arthritis of the right shoulder, residual surgical scar of the right shoulder, other specified trauma and stressor related disorder with depressive disorder, left foot plantar fasciitis with pes planus and metatarsalgia, fracture of the left ankle, and residuals, fracture, left third metacarpal/long finger.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and denied an initial compensable rating for right knee arthritis with patellar subluxation, but granted a 30 percent initial rating for right knee arthritis with painful motion, limitation of flexion. The claim for service connection for a right shoulder disability was remanded.

The Board granted service connection for somatic symptom disorder, left knee osteoarthritis, and headaches. The Veteran was also granted increased ratings of 20 percent for degenerative disk disease of the lumbar spine and 40 percent for status post ligament damage and acromioclavicular repair of the right shoulder with acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis and acromioclavicular joint degenerative joint disease.

The Board remands the claims for further development and to correct duty to assist errors.

The Veteran's additional left shoulder disability was proximately caused by treatment at a VA facility, and compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 is granted.

The Board denied an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for right knee osteoarthritis, granted a separate 20 percent rating for right knee instability from September 29, 2011, and granted an initial 10 percent rating for vertigo from the same date. The Board also denied service connection for restrictive lung disease, hypertension, cardiac muscle damage, testicular and groin pain, neck disability, back disability, right hand disability, right elbow disability, right shoulder disability, left shoulder disability, right hip disability, and left hip disability.

The Board granted an effective date of April 19, 2020, but no earlier, for the establishment of service connection for a left wrist disability, a left shoulder disability, and right elbow disabilities (based on limitation of flexion and supination/pronation), while denying such claims for other foot and finger conditions.

The Board denied service connection for left knee degenerative arthritis, left shoulder rotator cuff tendonitis with degenerative arthritis, and sinusitis as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by active military service.

The Board denied service connection for several conditions, granted service connection for a left shoulder strain and an initial rating of 100 percent for right knee instability s/p ACL reconstruction, and remanded claims related to adjustment disorder, hearing loss, and tinnitus.

The Board granted service connection for Meniere's syndrome, denied service connection for hyperlipidemia and sinusitis, and remanded the claims for a left shoulder condition and bilateral foot conditions.

The claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss was dismissed due to a procedural defect. The remaining claims were remanded for further development.

The appeal for service connection for irritable bowel syndrome, a low back condition, and a right shoulder condition has been withdrawn by the Veteran.

The Board granted service connection for right shoulder strain and left knee strain as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected left shoulder strain and right knee strain, respectively. The Board also granted an evaluation of 30 percent for right knee strain, limitation of flexion, from July 19, 2022, and a 50 percent evaluation for adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood from July 14, 2022.

The Board denied an initial evaluation in excess of 20 percent disabling for the Veteran's right shoulder disability, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating.