Shoulder Board decisions

The Board dismissed the appeals for increased ratings for right hand finger, osteoarthritis of the left foot, cholelithiasis, and right shoulder as they are not related to service connection.

The Board has denied service connection for chronic neurologic disorder, CFS, muscle pain in hands and feet, liver lesions, unexplained weight loss, and Meniere's syndrome as the evidence does not support a current diagnosis of these conditions. The Veteran's claim for secondary service connection for Meniere's syndrome is granted.

The Veteran's initial claims for increased ratings for right and left shoulder surgical scars prior to May 7, 2019 were denied. From that date onwards, a 10 percent rating was granted for both the right and left shoulder surgical scars.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection of left shoulder and right wrist disorders as these conditions were already granted in a previous rating decision.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and initial disability rating for various conditions are remanded due to the need for new VA examinations.

The Veteran's right shoulder strain is rated at 20 percent prior to May 23, 2016 and denied for higher ratings thereafter. The left knee patellofemoral syndrome and right knee patellofemoral syndrome are each rated at 10 percent.

The Board has determined that the VA examinations for the Veteran's claimed conditions are inadequate and remanded to obtain new, adequate opinions. The claims for service connection for various disabilities remain pending.

The Board has granted service connection for low back degenerative disc disease. The issues of service connection for left shoulder and right shoulder conditions are remanded.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for lumbar spine, cervical spine, left shoulder, and non-ischemic cardiomyopathy disabilities due to inadequate compliance with previous remand directives. The addendum opinions are needed to consider the Veteran's lay statements regarding his in-service symptomatology.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted service connection. The right shoulder and left shoulder disabilities, as well as the low back disability, are remanded for further development.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his left and right shoulder disabilities have been denied as the evidence does not show that either shoulder is limited to less than 90 degrees of abduction or flexion, which would warrant a higher rating under the current VA rating criteria.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, migraines, and physical impairments of the right shoulder, knees, back, and eyes, render him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment. The Board has granted a TDIU effective November 2, 2015.

The Veteran's trixaicin cream was not used in conjunction with a service-connected skin disability, thus the clothing allowance claim for 2016 is denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claim of service connection for a left shoulder disability is remanded due to an inadequate VA medical opinion and a duty to assist error.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claim of service connection for a left shoulder disability is remanded due to an inadequate VA medical opinion and a duty to assist error.

The Board has remanded the cases due to incomplete development and need for further medical opinions. The right shoulder disability case is linked to in-service burn pit exposures, while the respiratory condition claim requires more information on risk factors.

The Board has found that the Veteran's left shoulder condition is remanded for further development, including obtaining relevant treatment records and an addendum opinion to address whether any current left shoulder disability clearly and unmistakably preexisted service.

The Board has remanded the claims for further development due to new evidence received.,No effective date is assigned as the Veteran's claim was granted on February 6, 2019.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, left shoulder condition, left knee condition, right knee condition, left foot condition, right foot condition, left-hand condition, and right-hand condition due to a lack of in-service records. Additional attempts should be made to obtain any missing service treatment records and efforts should be made to obtain earlier private medical records.

The Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions are remanded due to the unavailability of his service department records and the need to attempt to corroborate the stressful events claimed by the Veteran.