Shoulder Board decisions

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, bilateral tinnitus, residuals of frostbite, a back condition, and a left knee condition. The veteran's stomach condition was not found to be proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected PTSD. The claim for an increased rating for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for neck, back, and shoulder injuries as well as flat feet, chondromalacia of the right knee, and abrasion of the left knee. The decision also found that the veteran had no dental injury during service.

The Board denied service connection for a heart disorder and a right shoulder disability, but granted an increased rating of 10% for hypertension.

The Board has granted an initial 20 percent rating for the veteran's subacromial right shoulder bursitis, effective from November 1, 1998.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for a rating greater than 50 percent for his residuals of a fracture of the left humeral neck with arthritis, status post total left shoulder arthroplasty.

The Board has denied the veteran's increased rating claims for his service-connected left thigh, left foot, and right shoulder disabilities. The RO also granted service connection for a right knee sprain and assigned noncompensable evaluations to each of these disabilities, effective from June 1999.

The Board denied increased ratings for the veteran's right shoulder strain, bilateral varicose veins, and calluses of the left foot. Service connection was also denied for a right hand disability and PTSD.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his shell fragment wound residuals of the left shoulder and left hand, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under the applicable diagnostic codes.

The Board granted a 50 percent evaluation for the veteran's cervical/brachial type right upper extremity neuropathy and right shoulder sprain with arthritis, effective from May 10, 1993.

The case is being remanded due to the need for additional development and compliance with the Veterans Claims Assistance Act of 2000.

The Board denied service connection for the veteran's left elbow disorder, cervical spine disorder, and right shoulder disorder. The evidence did not support a finding of in-service injury or exposure that could be linked to these conditions.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claim for service connection for a right shoulder disability is not well grounded and has been remanded to obtain additional evidence.

The veteran's chest pains were not related to his service-connected disabilities, and he was not receiving a total disability evaluation for any service-connected disability at the time of the private treatment. The VA Medical Center in Walla Walla denied reimbursement or payment due to lack of prior authorization.

The Board found no current evidence of a right knee disorder and denied the veteran's claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the veteran's right shoulder disorder is not causally or etiologically related to service, and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The veteran's claim for a permanent and total disability rating for pension purposes was denied because he failed to appear for VA examinations scheduled in December 1998 and April 2000, and there is no evidence of record showing that his disabilities render him permanently and totally disabled.

The veteran's bilateral pes planus deformity was not incurred or aggravated during service, and his headaches and subcapsular bursitis of the left shoulder were found to be unrelated to service. The claim for a compensable rating for the left shoulder disability is denied.

The Board has granted a 20 percent evaluation for residuals of a fracture of the left ankle since October 27, 1995. The veteran's service-connected conditions have been evaluated based on their specific diagnostic codes in the VA Rating Schedule.

The veteran's left shoulder disability is currently rated at 20 percent, and he also has nerve damage to the left arm which warrants a separate 10 percent evaluation.

The Board has determined that additional development of the evidence is necessary and remands the case for further action, including obtaining service medical records and a VA examination.