Citation Nr: 21011119 Decision Date: 02/27/21 Archive Date: 02/27/21 DOCKET NO. 17-37 166 DATE: February 27, 2021 REMANDED Entitlement to service connection for a left shoulder condition is remanded Entitlement to service connection for frostbite residuals of the left lower extremity is remanded. REASONS FOR REMAND The Veteran served on active duty from February 1979 to February 1983. In August 2020, a hearing was held before the undersigned Veterans Law Judge (VLJ). A transcript is of record. These matters were previously remanded in October 2020. While the Board regrets further delay in the adjudication of the Veteran’s claim, remand for additional medical addendum opinions is required. Entitlement to service connection for a left shoulder condition. The Veteran seeks service connection for his left shoulder condition, which he contends was incurred during his active military service. See August 2020 hearing transcript. In December 2020, a VA addendum opinion was obtained to address the Veteran’s contentions that his current left shoulder condition was caused by his firearm usage during service, specifically due to his military occupational specialty of infantryman. The VA examiner addressed whether an M16 firearm would impact the development of left shoulder arthritis. However, the record shows that the Veteran specifically contended that firing an M60 machine gun while lying prone during military service caused his current left shoulder arthritis. Furthermore, the Veteran’s service personnel records confirm that he fired the M60 machine gun during his military service. Accordingly, remand for an addendum opinion to address the Veteran’s contention that firing an M60 machine gun while lying prone caused his current left shoulder arthritis is warranted. Entitlement to service connection for frostbite residuals of the left lower extremity. The Veteran seeks service connection for frostbite residuals of his left lower extremity, which he contends is related to his documented exposure to cold conditions during his active service. See August 2020 hearing transcript. The Board remanded the matter in October 2020 for a VA examiner to address whether the Veteran’s decreased left lower extremity nerve amplitude was caused by his in-service cold injury to the left lower extremity. In the December 2020 VA addendum opinion, the VA examiner did not address the etiology of the Veteran’s current decreased left lower extremity nerve amplitude. Accordingly, remand for an addendum opinion is warranted. See Stegall v. West, 11 Vet. App. 268, 271 (1998). The matters are REMANDED for the following actions: 1. Obtain an addendum opinion from an appropriate clinician regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran’s left shoulder arthritis. After reviewing the record, the examiner is asked to opine as to whether it is at least as likely as not (50 percent or greater probability) that the Veteran’s current left shoulder arthritis was caused by or the result of any firearm usage during military service, specifically to include the Veteran’s contentions regarding lying prone while firing an M60 machine gun. 2. Obtain an addendum opinion from an appropriate clinician regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran’s claimed frostbite residuals of the left lower extremity. After reviewing the record, the examiner is asked to opine as to whether it is at least as likely as not (50 percent or greater probability) that the Veteran’s current lower left extremity nerve damage (decreased left lower extremity nerve amplitude) was caused by or the result of any cold exposure injury during military service. A. ISHIZAWAR Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans’ Appeals Attorney for the Board Griffin, Annette The Board’s decision in this case is binding only with respect to the instant matter decided. This decision is not precedential and does not establish VA policies or interpretations of general applicability. 38 C.F.R. § 20.1303.