Shoulder Board decisions

The Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for his status post total left shoulder arthroplasty was denied as he is already receiving the maximum schedular evaluation.

The Board found that the Veteran's right shoulder arthritis was not incurred in or aggravated by service, and is not related to his service-connected left shoulder disability. As a result, the claim for service connection was denied.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn due to his request for withdrawal of the appeal on the issues of entitlement to service connection for a left knee disorder and service connection for a lumbar spine disorder.

The Veteran's claims for higher initial ratings for her service-connected shoulder and spine disabilities are being remanded to allow for additional development of the evidence.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of a left shoulder disorder and therefore, service connection for this condition is denied.

The Veteran's left shoulder disability was rated as 20 percent disabling for the period from May 1, 2005 to September 14, 2008. The Board found that he is entitled to a higher rating during this period.

The Veteran's service connection claims for multiple conditions, including retropatellar pain syndrome of the right knee, tendinitis of the right wrist, recurrent tinnitus, chronic vasomotor rhinosinusitis with a retention cyst of the left maxillary sinus, and other unspecified disorders have been granted.

The Veteran's combined rating for his service-connected disabilities is 40 percent, which does not meet the threshold criteria for a TDIU. The evidence does not reflect that he is unemployable due to these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is denied as his service-connected left shoulder disorder, GERD and hiatal hernia with gall bladder disease, and left ear hearing loss do not warrant increased ratings. The claims for varicose veins of the right and left lower extremities and post-phlebotic syndrome are also denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection of left shoulder, spinal, and psychiatric disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims of service connection for headaches, but denied his claims for right shoulder disorder, dizziness, numbness of hands, cervical spine disorder, lumbar spine disorder, and psychiatric disorder.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left ear hearing loss, a cervical spine disorder, a low back disorder, a left shoulder disorder, and bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome. The Veteran was granted service connection for pseudofolliculitis barbae, left distal forearm scar, and right ear hearing loss with noncompensable evaluations assigned to each.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right shoulder disability and entitlement to a rating in excess of 30 percent for his left scapular-vertebral region disability, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to service or service-connected disabilities. The Board also found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for TDIU.

The Board concluded that the Veteran's cause of death was not incurred or aggravated in active military service, and denied the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for his left shoulder disability was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a rating greater than 20 percent prior to February 26, 2009 and did not meet the criteria for a rating greater than 30 percent beginning February 26, 2009.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine and right shoulder bursitis were denied as his conditions did not meet the criteria for higher disability evaluations.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for a neck disorder and denied it on the merits. The current degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine is not related to service, but left shoulder acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis is related to a left shoulder injury during service.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed before a decision can be made on the Veteran's claim for service connection for a left shoulder condition.

The Veteran meets the criteria for a total disability rating for nonservice-connected pension purposes due to multiple disabilities, including his right knee and low back conditions.