Shoulder Board decisions

The Veteran's DJD of the shoulders was not incurred in or aggravated by service, nor is it shown to be due to undiagnosed illness as a result of service in the Southwest Asia theater during the Persian Gulf War.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a left shoulder disorder and TDIU due to service-connected disabilities. The evidence did not support a finding that the current left shoulder condition was incurred in or aggravated by service, including use of crutches after foot surgery.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the case is dismissed.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional VA treatment records and consideration of a claim for total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have current diagnoses of left shoulder, ankle, or right shoulder disorders. As such, service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his bilateral hearing loss, left shoulder biceps tendonitis with impingement, and left knee patella femoral syndrome. The RO had previously granted service connection for these conditions but did not assign compensable ratings.

The Board has remanded the case due to new evidence being added to the claims file after the RO issued an April 2008 Statement of the Case (SOC). The Veteran's claim for service connection for a right shoulder disability is now pending and will be reconsidered by the RO.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral shoulder and elbow disabilities, finding no evidence of a chronic condition related to service or service-connected peripheral neuropathy. The Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation based on loss of use of both hands was granted.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including scheduling a hearing and obtaining VA examinations to assess the Veteran's right shoulder disability and nonspecific inflammation of the legs, shoulders, stomach, eyes, and skin. The claim is also being referred to the Director of Compensation and Pension Services for consideration of entitlement to a TDIU.

The Board found no evidence of a current left shoulder condition and denied service connection for the Veteran's claimed left shoulder disorder. For his right knee condition, the Board determined that it was not proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected left knee disability.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions did not cause or contribute substantially to his death. The Board found that pneumonia, which led to the Veteran's death, was not related to service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased evaluations were granted, with the right shoulder disability being granted direct service connection. The hearing loss claim was denied as not meeting VA criteria for a hearing loss disability. For osteoarthritis and lumbosacral strain with IVDS, a 10 percent evaluation was granted prior to November 28, 2008, and a 20 percent evaluation thereafter.

The Board finds that the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, degenerative joint disease of the cervical spine, and right shoulder strain are not supported by the evidence of record. The Veteran did not have any diagnosed disabilities during active service or within one year post-service, and there is no competent medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left hip tendinitis, right hip tendinitis, left shoulder tendinitis, and right shoulder tendinitis due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to active service.

The Veteran seeks service connection for a left shoulder disability, which he believes is related to parachute jumps during service. The appeal is being remanded due to the need to obtain missing service treatment records and conduct an examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's PTSD is related to in-service stressors and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses is denied because the condition did not meet the criteria for continued emergency treatment and he could have been safely transferred to a VA facility.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to a Court decision.

The VA decompression with rotator cuff repair of the left shoulder in June 2004 did not result in additional disability to the Veteran caused by VA treatment.

The Veteran's appeal was denied for higher initial ratings for cervical spine disability, right ulnar nerve paralysis, left ulnar nerve paralysis, and left shoulder impingement syndrome.