Shoulder Board decisions

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining a statement of the case on his low back disability claim and scheduling VA examinations to assess the severity of his psychiatric condition, knee arthritis, hip disability, low back disability, and right shoulder disability. The examiner should also determine if these disabilities are related to service or not.

The Board denied service connection for arthritis of the lumbar spine, arthritis of each shoulder, arthritis of each arm, and arthritis of each hand as there was no competent medical evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and initial evaluations are being remanded due to the need for additional evidence, including verification of periods of active military service and VA examinations.

The Veteran's right shoulder disability was rated at 30 percent prior to February 1, 2009. Following surgery and a convalescent period, the rating was restored on February 1, 2009.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's chronic low back, neck, and shoulder disability is of service origin. The claim for right hand and wrist disability remains pending.

The Veteran's right shoulder strain and impingement syndrome, with osteoarthritis, have been productive of flexion to 110 degrees, internal rotation to 90 degrees, external rotation to 45 degrees, abduction to 100 degrees, adduction to 50 degrees. He retains functional use above the shoulder level.

The Veteran's right and left trapezius strains, right hip strain, left hip strain, and a disability characterized by edema of the lower extremities (claimed as right and left thigh pain) are all found to be proximately due to her service-connected migraine headaches. Service connection for additional right and left knee disabilities is denied as they are not related to service or secondary to a service-connected condition. The Veteran's cervical spine disability is also denied as it was not incurred in service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension, multiple joint osteoarthritis, and left shoulder osteoarthritis are not linked to service or any presumptive exposure. The Veteran does not have an acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Veteran's initial compensable rating for right ear hearing loss was denied, and his claim for service connection for basal cell carcinoma of the left shoulder was also denied. The Board found that there is no evidence to support a link between the Veteran's current condition and his active duty service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for traumatic arthritis of the right shoulder, finding that his condition does not meet or approximate the criteria for a rating in excess of 30 percent. The Board also found that he is entitled to a separate 10 percent evaluation for service-connected mild non-localizable right ulnar neuropathy.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased disability ratings. The Veteran's diabetes mellitus was not found to be related to his military service, atrial fibrillation did not warrant a higher rating, bilateral hearing loss did not meet criteria for a compensable evaluation, degenerative joint disease of the right knee and left knee were rated appropriately, and instability of the left knee warranted a separate 10 percent rating. The Veteran's right shoulder condition was also rated appropriately.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for right shoulder bursitis and skin condition due to insufficient medical evidence, including a need for VA examinations.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including VA examinations to assess the current severity of his service-connected rhinitis, right shoulder disorder, and back disorder. The issues on appeal include entitlement to initial compensable ratings for rhinitis and headaches, as well as service connection for a right shoulder disorder and a back disorder.

The Veteran has been granted service connection for residuals of a right shoulder muscle injury, which occurred during active duty training in August 1988.

The Board has granted service connection for right knee, left knee, left shoulder, and right shoulder disabilities based on evidence linking these conditions to an in-service automobile accident.

The Board has remanded the claims due to insufficient reasoning and failure to provide a VA medical examination for clarification of the relationship between the Veteran's service injury and his current knee and shoulder disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied as the residuals of a fragment wound of the right shoulder with retained foreign bodies, Muscle Group I, and loss of function of the right shoulder, Muscle Group V, are not productive of more than moderate disability. The left shoulder osteoarthritis is also not productive of more than 10 percent disability.

The Board has granted service connection for a right shoulder disability and remanded the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for a heart disability as secondary to PTSD and an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for PTSD, including manifestations of a heart condition.

The Veteran's posterior labral tear of the right shoulder with bursitis resulted in painful motion but did not result in functional limitation to shoulder level or closer. The disability is currently rated at 10 percent.

The Veteran's right shoulder disability, characterized by recurrent dislocation and degenerative joint disease, does not warrant a rating higher than the current 30 percent assigned under Diagnostic Code 5202.