Shoulder Board decisions

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to incomplete records and inadequate medical opinions.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's right shoulder disability, finding that it began during his military service.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for right and left shoulder disabilities were denied in March 2005, which became final. The effective date for the grant of service connection is April 20, 2009.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection and a rating for chronic headaches have been dismissed as he withdrew his appeal.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to a request from his representative for information regarding the qualifications of the VA examiner who provided an opinion in September 2021. The appeal is being returned to the AOJ for further development.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence regarding the relationship between his current disabilities and his military service, particularly the motor vehicle accident in May 1988. The VA is asked to obtain updated treatment records and provide additional medical opinions addressing these issues.

The Board has denied service connection for upper-gastrointestinal (GI) disorder, left shoulder disorder, right hand disorder, low back disorder, left knee disorder, and bilateral ankle disorder as these conditions are not related to service.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and readjudication due to issues related to service connection, including obtaining private treatment records and new medical opinions. The Veteran's claims for low back and left shoulder disabilities are being reviewed again.

The Board has denied service connection for various disabilities, including left and right hand disabilities, wrist disabilities, shoulder disability, knee disabilities, leg disabilities, bilateral hearing loss, sinus condition, and hypertension. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions are related to the Veteran's military service.

The Board denied service connection for right shoulder, left shoulder, lumbosacral strain (back trauma), cervical strain (neck pain), and right knee disabilities.,There is no evidence of a current disability in any of these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, right hand disorder, left hand disorder, and left shoulder disorder are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examination.

The Veteran's left shoulder disability is currently rated at 20 percent from August 13, 2015 to November 11, 2021. The Board has remanded the issue of rating her left shoulder disability as well as a claim for service connection for a neck disability.

The Board has denied service connection for right shoulder, right hip, and left hip disabilities as they are not related to the Veteran's service-connected conditions. The effective date for increased rating of residuals of left fifth metatarsal fracture is also denied.

The Veteran's left shoulder tendinitis and scar are currently rated at 30 percent, but the Board has determined that a higher rating may be warranted based on additional evidence. The TDIU claim is also pending.

The Veteran's initial rating for right shoulder rotator cuff muscle strain was granted, but the Board denied service connection for migraine headaches and other conditions. The appeal is not about service connection at all.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral knee, ankle, cervical spine, and left shoulder disorders due to a lack of evidence showing chronicity in service or continuity of symptomatology after service.

The Veteran's right shoulder disability resulted in functional equivalent of unfavorable ankylosis with abduction limited to 25 degrees from the side, warranting a 50% rating.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for bilateral shoulders, migraines (including as due to service-connected fibromyalgia, PTSD and IBS), a respiratory disorder (sinusitis), rating in excess of 40 percent for service-connected fibromyalgia, and rating in excess of 30 percent for service-connected irritable bowel syndrome.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for his increased disability rating of 20 percent for a right shoulder disability was denied. The Board found that the exact onset of the limitation of motion to warrant a 20 percent disability for the Veteran's right shoulder arose on February 5, 2016. Service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the right upper extremity, to include as secondary to service-connected right shoulder disability, was also denied.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's bilateral shoulder disability is service-connected on a secondary basis to his service-connected right lower extremity radiculopathy and/or right knee osteoarthritis. The cervical spine disability remains remanded for further development.