Shoulder Board decisions

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete development of records and issues related to service connection for various conditions.

The Board has remanded the case due to issues related to accrued benefits and service connection for cause of death. The appellant's claims are pending further development.

The Veteran's chronic right shoulder disorder is found to have originated during his period of active military service, and the Board grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities of the feet, left knee, and right shoulder have been granted with initial ratings. The Veteran is not entitled to higher initial ratings for his service-connected right shoulder disability or left knee disability.

The Board finds that the Veteran's headaches, cervical spine disability involving a herniated disc at C-6, and right shoulder disorder were incurred in service. Service connection is granted for these conditions.

The Veteran's May 2008 VA Form 9 was untimely, and the appeal is denied.

The Board found that the Veteran's current right shoulder disorder is not related to his active service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the Board is dismissing the case.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including a VA examination and clarification of the Veteran's request for a Travel Board hearing.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral shoulder disability, including arthritis and tendonitis, did not have its clinical onset in service or is otherwise related to active duty. As a result, service connection was denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection due to lack of new and material evidence. The right shoulder disorder claim was not reopened, while the acquired psychiatric disorder claim was reopened but still denied.

The Board found that the Veteran's right shoulder disability is not proximately due to or the result of his service-connected right knee instability, and thus denied service connection for a right shoulder disability as secondary to the service-connected right knee instability. The claim for restoration of a 10 percent evaluation for service-connected right knee instability was also denied.

The Board has determined that the appellant's service-connected bilateral shoulder disabilities result in the need for regular aid and attendance, which is granted.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for cervical spine disorder, left shoulder disorder, and cardiac disorder. The claim of entitlement to a higher initial rating for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine at L4-5 and L5-S1 was also denied.

The Board found that the Veteran's right hand and right shoulder disabilities, including pain with mild ulnar neuropathy at the elbow and chronic tendonitis of the right shoulder, were not incurred in or aggravated by active service.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for a left shoulder disability was denied as there is no evidence of fibrous union, non-union, or loss of head of the humerus warranting a higher rating. The current 30 percent disability rating remains in effect.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a left shoulder disorder, low back disorder, acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD), and skin disorder of the feet have been denied. The evidence does not support current diagnoses or show in-service injury or disease related to these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a VA examination to determine the current severity of his service-connected right shoulder disability, which may affect muscle groups I, II, III, and IV. The examiner should classify the injury as slight, moderate, moderately severe, or severe based on the criteria provided in 38 C.F.R. § 4.73.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected gunshot wound of the right (major) shoulder with residual traumatic arthritis and loss of motion, currently evaluated as 30 percent disabling. The case is to be readjudicated based on whether he is entitled to separate compensable ratings for entrance and exit wound scars from his gunshot wound injury and each muscle group affected by his gunshot wound injury.