Shoulder Board decisions

The Board has remanded the case due to conflicting evidence regarding the nature and cause of the veteran's hip and shoulder disabilities, including recent medical studies. The VA is instructed to obtain additional clinical evidence and coordinate examinations by specialists in neurology, rheumatology, psychiatry, and orthopedics.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for higher ratings for his left shoulder disability and gastrointestinal disorder, finding that the evidence does not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation.

The Board denied the veteran's claim to reopen his service connection for left shoulder dislocation, finding no new and material evidence had been submitted.

The Board has determined that the reduction of the veteran's rating from 20% to 10% for his service-connected status post left shoulder separation was appropriate based on improvement in his condition as evidenced by medical findings.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection and accrued benefits, finding that he did not have a claim pending at the time of his death or be entitled to them under an existing rating or decision.

The Board has determined that a new VA examination is needed to address the claims for secondary service connection, as the January 2005 VA examiner's opinion was inadequate and did not consider the veteran's documented medical history.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence of a current diagnosis of a right shoulder disorder nor a right shoulder injury in service. Therefore, the claim for service connection for residuals of a right shoulder injury is denied.

The Board finds that the criteria for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses incurred on March 1, 2005 at the Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center have been met due to a relative equipoise in evidence regarding whether arthroscopic surgery was rendered in a medical emergency and VA facilities were not feasibly available.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain medical records from the Alamosa Hospital and VA facilities in Lakewood and Denver, Colorado. The issues of service connection for a right shoulder disability as secondary to left knee and lumbar spine disabilities and whether new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim for service connection for a right knee disability will be reconsidered.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD due to lack of evidence supporting the diagnosis.,The claim for compensation for a right hip and buttock disorder as the result of treatment at a VA medical facility pursuant to 38 U.S.C. § 1151 was denied because there is no evidence showing that the veteran's current condition is related to the treatment received.

The Board denied an extraschedular evaluation in excess of 20 percent for the veteran's left shoulder disability, finding that there were no exceptional factors taking the veteran outside the norm of the rating schedule.

The VA determined that the veteran's right shoulder degenerative joint disease does not warrant an evaluation in excess of 20 percent.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for Lichen simplex chronicus of the scrotal area, residuals of right shoulder injury, and post-traumatic stress disorder. The Board found no evidence linking these conditions to service or any inservice incidents.

The Board has dismissed the veteran's appeals for service connection on all issues due to his withdrawal of these claims.

The veteran's claim for an increased evaluation of his cervical spine disability was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the current level of disability, and no separate evaluations were warranted for neurological manifestations or incapacitating episodes.

The Board denied service connection for arthritis and/or bursitis of multiple joints involving the upper legs, hands, and shoulders as there was no evidence of a current disability. The prostate disorder was also denied as it is not related to service or Agent Orange exposure.

The Board has granted a 10 percent disability rating for labral tear of the left shoulder beginning January 26, 2005. The veteran's left shoulder disorder was previously rated as noncompensable from May 1, 2001 to April 7, 2004.

The Board has granted service connection for tendonitis of the right shoulder, carpal tunnel syndrome of the right wrist, and a right knee disability as secondary to the veteran's service-connected left wrist disability.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional VA treatment records and an orthopedic examination to determine the current severity of his right shoulder disability.

The Board has determined that the veteran's sleep disorder, right shoulder and ankle degenerative joint disease are not related to active service. The claim for right knee degenerative joint disease is also denied as there is no evidence of a current disability.