Shoulder Board decisions

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right shoulder disability is related to his active duty service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered her unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful employment for the periods on appeal prior to May 2, 2020, and after June 1, 2020. For the period from March 2, 2020, to June 1, 2020, she was in receipt of a 100 percent schedular rating for total left wrist fusion.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including kidney disorder, heart disorder, left shoulder disorder, right shoulder disorder, hearing loss, and bilateral eye disorder (nuclear sclerotic cataracts with vitreous membrane detachment and associated floaters), are remanded due to insufficient evidence. The Board also found that the Veteran's hypertension claim is remanded for further analysis.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for hearing loss was dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his request.,Service connection is granted for right foot plantar fasciitis secondary to service-connected left foot plantar fasciitis. The Board finds that the Veteran's right foot plantar fasciitis is caused by his service-connected left foot plantar fasciitis.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of various service-connected conditions have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation in any of these cases.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have prevented him from securing and maintaining substantially gainful employment since June 30, 2018. The Board has granted a TDIU effective July 1, 2018.

The Veteran's bladder disability claim is denied as there is no persuasive evidence of a current disability or causal relationship to service.,Tinnitus has been granted as the Board finds that it first manifested during active service and is related to service.

The Veteran's claims for left hand tremors, right hand tremors, cervical spine disability, right shoulder disability, right shoulder scar, PTSD with TBI, and low back disorder have been granted effective February 12, 2021. Earlier effective dates are not warranted for these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for a traumatic brain injury (TBI) was dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his request.,Service connection is granted for tinnitus, with the Board finding that it is due to in-service noise exposure.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, a back disability, right shoulder disability, and left shoulder disability due to lack of new and relevant evidence.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for various hip, shoulder, wrist, and ankle disabilities. The conditions are related to his military service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection have been denied. The Veteran is not entitled to a higher rating for tinnitus or adjustment disorder with depressed mood, generalized anxiety disorder, and insomnia disorder due to the current schedular ratings being appropriate. Service connection has also been denied for pseudofolliculitis barbae, acne, constipation, muscle breakdown, cervical spine strain, lumbar spine strain, right hand/finger disorder, left hand/finger disorder, right knee disorder, left knee disorder, migraine headache, residuals of tonsillectomy, and shoulder disorders.

The Veteran's service connection claim for migraine headaches is granted. Claims for dry skin, neck disability, right shoulder disability, and sinusitis are remanded.

The Board has granted an earlier effective date of February 22, 2021 for the award of service connection for left shoulder strain. The claim was continuously pursued since the original submission in February 2021.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions are dismissed due to untimely filing of the Notice of Disagreement (NOD). The appeal is also dismissed as there was no good cause shown for the late filing.

The Veteran's ulcerative colitis is granted service connection, but his jaw condition, lumbar spine condition, bilateral hip condition, cervical spine disability, bilateral shoulder condition, Gulf War illness, sleep disturbances, and headache condition are denied due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.

The appeal for sleep apnea is dismissed as the Veteran withdrew her appeal.,The appeals for migraine headaches and rheumatoid arthritis are granted to the extent that new evidence has been submitted, but service connection remains denied overall.,The appeal for bilateral hearing loss is denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for lumbar spine and left shoulder disabilities due to a lack of adequate medical opinions and missing VA treatment records. The Veteran is seeking service connection for these conditions, which are presumed to be related to his military service.

The Board has determined that additional VA examinations and medical opinions are needed to address the Veteran's claims for service connection due to duty-to-assist errors.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal concerning the service connection for various disabilities, including bilateral ankle, hip, shoulder, and knee disabilities, as well as an acquired psychiatric disorder and heat sensitivity.