Shoulder Board decisions

The Veteran's claims for increased disability evaluations for his residuals of a left shoulder injury and lumbosacral strain are being remanded due to the need for additional VA examinations and consideration of recent medical records.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities (including PTSD and dysthymia) have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation since February 2, 2012.

The appeal has been withdrawn by the appellant through his authorized representative.

The Board found that the Veteran's cervical spine, shoulder, and arm conditions were not incurred or aggravated in service. The claims for these conditions are therefore denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including scheduling a videoconference hearing. The claims of service connection and increased rating for his shoulder disabilities are pending.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for gouty arthritis of the back, toes, fingers, knees, shoulders, and ankles was denied as his condition did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under VA's Schedule for Rating Disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for his service-connected Ganglion cyst, left wrist, was denied. The claim for secondary service connection of the left shoulder bursitis to the service-connected left wrist condition is also denied.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection and initial evaluations of various knee and eye disabilities to the RO for further development. The Veteran's right eye pterygium is currently rated as noncompensable, while his left shoulder impingement syndrome and patellofemoral syndromes in both knees are each rated at 10 percent.

The Board denied service connection for astasia, residuals of ecchymosis of the left deltoid muscle, and neurological impairment of the left lower extremity. The remaining issues were not addressed in this decision.

The Veteran's hypertension was not found to warrant a higher rating, and service connection for various conditions including low back disorder, knee disorders, foot disorders, shoulder disorders, diabetes mellitus, insomnia, gastrointestinal disorder (GERD), and fatigue were denied.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his thoracolumbar spine disability and left shoulder disability were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for either condition.

The Board has granted service connection for right shoulder impingement syndrome and tension headaches, finding that the Veteran's current disabilities are at least as likely as not related to her military service. Service connection was denied for a lumbar spine disorder.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for parotiditis, mumps, lymphadenopathy, a disorder of the right shoulder node, hearing loss, and gastrointestinal disability were all denied. The claim for PTSD was also denied.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to obtain the Veteran's service treatment records and to determine whether she served in the Persian Gulf War. The claims for higher ratings for her disabilities are also remanded.

The Veteran's left shoulder disability is currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board finds no evidence of unfavorable ankylosis or other disabling conditions that would warrant a higher rating. The claim for increased rating for his left shoulder disability is denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for a higher rating for his left shoulder disability and for TDIU.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded to allow for additional evidence to be considered and a new Supplemental Statement of the Case (SSOC) to address this evidence.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for left shoulder, bilateral ankle, bilateral hip, and bilateral knee disorders have been reopened. The claim for service connection for a spinal cord disorder has also been reopened.,The evidence received is not sufficient to reopen the claim of service connection for multiple uterine fibroids.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including a right hip disability, left shoulder AC joint separation, cervical spine disability, and neurological disability of the right lower extremity. The decision found that there was no current disability in these areas.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for right shoulder degenerative arthritis and rotator cuff tear, as well as chronic left shoulder strain associated with the right shoulder condition, were denied. The conditions are rated based on their direct service connection without any presumption or secondary theory.