Shoulder Board decisions

The veteran sustained additional disabilities in his right shoulder, low back, and possibly right hip as a result of falling into an elevator at the VA hospital. The low back disability is attributed to pre-existing service-connected lumbosacral strain aggravated by the fall. Right shoulder and right hip injuries are considered new disabilities resulting from the 1995 incident.

The Board has granted a 20 percent evaluation for the veteran's traumatic arthritis and residuals of a rotator cuff injury of the right shoulder, finding that his disability is manifested by limited motion to shoulder level.

The Board denied increased evaluations for the service-connected recurring left shoulder dislocations, chronic prostatitis and an anxiety reaction in July 1975. The decision is not considered to involve clear and unmistakable error.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete development and a need for additional examination.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed conditions are not related to service and thus denied his claims for service connection.

The VA denied compensation benefits for additional disability of the cervical spine and a left shoulder disability as secondary to surgery and treatment at a VA medical facility from August to October 1991.

The Board denied an evaluation in excess of 30 percent for the veteran's right shoulder disability.

The Board found that the veteran's right shoulder disability, currently rated at 30 percent for frequent episodes of dislocation and guarding of all arm movements, does not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher evaluation based on Diagnostic Code 5202 (fibrous union, nonunion, loss of humeral head), as there is no evidence of fibrous union, nonunion, or loss of the humeral head. The highest rating available under this code would be 80 percent, which requires loss of the head of the major humerus.

The Board denied service connection for a left shoulder disorder and determined that new and material evidence had not been submitted to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for residuals of a right elbow fracture.

The Board denied service connection for skin rash, upper back disorder, headaches, muscle and joint pain, shortness of breath, and memory loss and lack of concentration. The veteran's claims were based on his active duty in the Southwest Asia theater during the Gulf War.

The Board has determined that the veteran's cervical spine disability is not proximately due to or the result of his service-connected left shoulder injury. The claim for secondary service connection for the cervical spine disability was denied.

The Board has granted service connection for a right shoulder disability and assigned a 10 percent evaluation for the veteran's service-connected sinusitis.

The veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied. The RO granted service connection for the right shoulder, left hand fracture, and knee/lumbar spine conditions but did not assign a rating or effective date.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from obtaining and retaining all forms of substantially gainful employment.

The veteran's pre-existing right shoulder disorder was aggravated by service, resulting in winging of the right scapula and associated multi-directional instability. Service connection is granted for this condition.

The veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, a nerve injury of the left foot, and a right shoulder disability were denied as not incurred in or aggravated by service.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral shoulder disability, finding no competent medical evidence linking the current condition to service.

The Board has granted a 40 percent evaluation for the veteran's left wrist disability, which is currently rated as noncompensable.

The Board has granted a 30 percent rating for the veteran's service-connected muscle wound of the left (minor) shoulder with arthritis, effective from March 1995.

The Board has determined that there is no competent medical evidence of a current right shoulder disability, left knee disability, or right knee disability. Therefore, the claims for service connection for these disabilities are denied.