Shoulder Board decisions

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining additional treatment records and providing him with a proper notice letter.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence to support the veteran's claims of service connection for a left shoulder disability and arthritis of the left hip. The disabilities are not shown to be related to his military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an earlier effective date for service connection and for service connection for tinnitus. The Board found that there was no evidence of a left shoulder disability in service or within one year after discharge, and that tinnitus was not incurred during active duty.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for residuals of a left shoulder injury and determined that new and material evidence has been submitted. The claim is granted as it raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim.

The Board denied service connection for bronchitis, sinusitis, a left shoulder disability, and headaches.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an increased rating and earlier effective date for his service-connected right shoulder disability, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on current symptomatology.

The Board has determined that the evidence supports a finding of service connection for the veteran's right shoulder disability, which was incurred during his military service.

The veteran's claims for service connection for right knee and left shoulder disorders are being remanded due to the need for additional medical input to determine the relationship between his in-service injuries and current disabilities.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete information and need for further examination. The veteran's claims are related to exposure to Agent Orange during service.

The Board found that the July and August 1972 rating decisions, which assigned a 20% evaluation for residuals of a gunshot wound to the left shoulder, contained clear and unmistakable error (CUE) as they failed to consider moderately severe muscle injury to Muscle Groups I, II, and IV. Had service connection been granted for these injuries at the time, the veteran's combined rating would have been 30%.

The veteran's cervical, right shoulder, and left shoulder disorders are being remanded for further development as the VA examination has not addressed whether any current conditions are related to service.

The Board denied service connection for sinusitis and a right shoulder disability, finding no current diagnosis of these conditions. The veteran's statements were not considered sufficient to establish the presence or etiology of these disabilities.

The Board found no evidence of a right shoulder disorder during service or for many years after service, and concluded that the current condition is not related to service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's right shoulder, traumatic arthritis, and COPD disabilities are not service-connected. The cervical and lumbar spine disabilities were found to be not related to his military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral shoulder disabilities and cervical spine disability were not incurred in or aggravated by service. The preponderance of evidence is against these claims.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection and secondary service connection for a right shoulder condition, granted service connection for a bilateral knee strain, but denied an initial compensable disability rating for abdominal scars.

The Board has determined that the reduction of the veteran's disability rating from 30 to 20 percent was proper, as there is no evidence of continued improvement in his shoulder condition.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for increased ratings and service connection, finding that the earliest date of claim was March 18, 2004.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and conducting a VA examination.

The veteran's appeal of the claim for an effective date earlier than November 20, 2003, for a 100 percent rating for left shoulder prosthetic surgery has been dismissed.