Citation Nr: 18150039 Decision Date: 11/14/18 Archive Date: 11/14/18 DOCKET NO. 09-25 504 DATE: November 14, 2018 REMANDED Entitlement to service connection for a right shoulder disability, to include as secondary to service-connected disability is remanded. REASONS FOR REMAND The Veteran had active military service from May 1990 to November 1996. This matter comes before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) on appeal from a July 2008 rating decision by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO). In July 2015, the Veteran testified at a travel board hearing. A transcript of those proceedings is of record. By way of background, in June 2017 the Board denied the Veteran’s claim for entitlement to service connection for a right shoulder disability. The Veteran appealed the decision to the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (Court). In May 2018, the Court issued a Joint Motion for Partial Remand (JMPR) in which it partially vacated the June 2017 Board decision and remanded the case for further proceedings consistent with the Court’s findings. The matter has returned to the Board for appellate consideration. Upon a review of the records and the Court’s May 2018 JMPR, the Board finds that the issue of entitlement to service connection for a right shoulder disability requires further evidentiary development and adjudication. At the outset, a review of the treatment records shows that the Veteran has a current diagnosis of partial tear of right rotator cuff, right shoulder osteoarthritis, right shoulder labral tear, and right shoulder rotator cuff tendinitis. See April 2016 CAPRI, October 2016 CAPRI, February 2018 Medical Treatment Records – Furnished by SSA, and June 2018 CAPRI. The May 2014 VA examiner diagnosed the Veteran with bilateral shoulder strain, right rotator cuff tear, and bilateral internal shoulder joint derangement. The December 2015 VA examiner diagnosed the Veteran with right shoulder impingement syndrome, right rotator cuff tear, and right glenohumeral joint osteoarthritis. The Court found that despite the numerous diagnoses in the file, the VA examiners did not address all the diagnoses but rather opined as to the Veteran’s right shoulder rotator cuff condition only. Moreover, the Court found that the May 2014 VA examiner did not address the evidence in the record that showed complaints of right arm and shoulder pain, numbness and tingling. Further, the Court stated that the May 2014 VA examiner’s rationale as to aggravation was incomplete as the examiner failed to describe the relationship, if any, between the Veteran’s current right wrist disability and his right shoulder disability. As such, pursuant to the May 2018 JMPR, the Board finds that a remand is necessary to obtain an opinion based on a full reading of the medical record and consideration of the Veteran’s contentions. Additionally, the Board notes that following the JMR, the Veteran was granted service connection for right carpal tunnel syndrome in an October 2018 rating decision. The relationship, if any between his service-connected right wrist residuals and carpal tunnel syndrome and his shoulder should be addressed. The matter is REMANDED for the following action: Return the May 2014 and December 2015 VA examinations to an appropriate examiner for an addendum opinion. Furnish the Veteran’s claims file, including a copy of this remand, to the examiner. The examiner should specifically state that the entire claims file has been reviewed, including this remand. Then, the examiner must determine if it is at least as likely as not (a fifty percent probability or greater) that the Veteran’s right shoulder disability was (a) caused by or has been (b) aggravated (permanently worsened beyond the natural progress of the disorder) by the Veteran’s service-connected right wrist disability with residuals and/or right carpal tunnel syndrome. The examiner must address each right shoulder diagnosis in the prior VA examination reports when making any conclusions. (Continued on the next page)   If aggravation is found, please identify to the extent possible the baseline level of disability prior to the aggravation and determine what degree of additional impairment is attributable to aggravation of the right shoulder disability. A detailed rationale for the opinion must be provided. If the examiner is unable to offer the requested opinion, it is essential that he or she offer a rationale for the conclusion that an opinion could not be provided without resort to speculation, together with a statement as to whether there is additional evidence that could enable an opinion to be provided, or whether the inability to provide the opinion is based on the limits of medical knowledge. S. HENEKS Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans’ Appeals ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD P. Noh, Associate Counsel