Shoulder Board decisions

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated medical examinations to assess the severity of his service-connected disabilities and considering any new evidence submitted.

The Veteran's left shoulder disability was originally rated as 20 percent disabling under Diagnostic Code 5202, effective August 27, 1958. The Board has now reinstated this rating and assigned a separate 30 percent evaluation for the same condition under Diagnostic Code 5201, effective July 8, 2005.

The Board has remanded the TDIU claim for further development due to inadequate medical opinion and potential referral for extraschedular consideration. The Veteran's recent VA treatment records, a VA examination report, and possibly another medical opinion are needed.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and a TDIU due to service-connected left shoulder disability were denied. The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and arranging for an orthopedic examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed disabilities, including those of the hands, shoulders, neck, knees, and feet (excluding cold injuries), were not incurred or aggravated by active service. The VA denied service connection for these conditions based on a lack of evidence linking them to military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current right shoulder disability is related to injuries he sustained during his active duty service, and thus service connection for this condition is granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's cervical spine, bilateral shoulder, and bilateral knee disabilities are related to his service-connected lumbar spine disability. The claim is granted.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and a history of compression fracture of T12-L1 with muscular strain, met the minimum schedular percentage standards for a total disability rating from August 16, 1991. The Board found that he was unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation by reason of his service-connected disabilities starting September 7, 1994.

The Board has granted service connection for chondromalacia of the knees, finding that the Veteran's current condition is related to his in-service diagnosis and treatment.,Service connection was denied for neck disability and bilateral shoulder disabilities due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Veteran has a qualifying chronic disability manifested by arthralgia in the low back, knees, shoulders, and elbows that is related to his service in the Southwest Asia theater of operations during the Persian Gulf War.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for additional development and readjudication of his service connection claims, including consideration of recent VA treatment records and private medical evidence.

The Veteran's left shoulder strain was rated as noncompensable prior to June 25, 2010 and at a 10 percent rating since then. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for higher ratings.

The Veteran's service-connected hidradenitis suppurativa and degenerative joint disease of the right shoulder do not render him unemployable due to his disabilities alone.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for his right shoulder, left knee, and right knee disabilities have been withdrawn.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional VA and private treatment records, as well as a new VA examination.

The Board granted service connection for bilateral pes planus and higher initial disability ratings for chronic left foot and ankle strain, degenerative joint disease of the left knee, herniated lumbar disc with radiculopathy, and degenerative joint disease of the right shoulder. The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral pes planus are addressed in the REMAND portion of this decision.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for service connection for right knee and right shoulder disabilities, finding that there was no evidence of injury or disability during a qualifying period of service.

The Veteran's claims for residuals of a chest injury, right shoulder disability, and head injury are denied as there is no current evidence of these conditions.

The Board has determined that there is no new and material evidence to reopen the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral shoulder sprain (bursitis), venereal warts, recurrent lumbosacral strain, scratched eyeballs, swollen, dry, itchy throat, and hypertension with history of abnormal ECG/EKG and other claimed heart pathology.

The Board found that the Veteran's current right shoulder arthritis is not related to service, including any right shoulder injury therein.