Is my medical discharge still considered a service connected injury if I was waivered in for it?

This actually has an easy answer. Your medical condition was aggravated by military service, so it is service-connected.
Only ways this does not apply is if you falsified or concealed the condition in order to get in (considering the waiver, this does not seem to be the case) or you were injured in an incident found to not be in the line of duty - usually due to negligence or misconduct (ie drunkenly falling down the stairs or getting into a HMMWV accident and not wearing a seatbelt/PPE).

Your case, as you state it, is pretty clear-cut.

It absolutely is service connected and any disability attorney would back you if there were ever a question. Uncle Sam knew about your condition and took ownership of it the minute you shipped. As others have said, if you had concealed the prior surgery we would be having a different conversation. Don’t stress about the future implications of your potential discharge. Focus on your recovery and keeping your nose clean. I’ve seen too many people in your shoes act dumb and get in a lot of trouble before they’re MED board is over. Good luck.

As it is pre-existing it will not (likely) be credited, unless the review board finds it to be different. There is an appeal process and then a shot with the VA which you can start prior to separation. The DVA is a great, free organization who can take a look at your files and assist with that side. The VA has a Vet program that you may qualify for which is in addition to your existing education benefit. I am available on the private message side should you wish to bounce anything off me. The fact that you gave it a try is exemplary you should proud of your service and exit with a good feeling. Thank you for your service.

http://www.veteransadvocates.org

Trust me, all of the vet groups are good, however, for really seriously complex cases, these guys were the ones we turned to for help, for my total perm disability...do yourself a favor, capp them, use their search engine, and, if one of them would take you on, give whoever it would be whatever retainer is needed, them just pet them take their allowed percentage of any back settlement...do not, please, do not try to do it on your own, you want to start with a vet group, fine, that:s up to you, however, our whole claim for !e mushroomed in complexity to the point where we needed expert attorney help, there are paw school clinics for vets, those are also good, however, we lucked out with he one we transferred our claim for me to, he'd done three yts active, and had practiced VA disability law for 30-40 yes, here's a decision search engine for the Board of Vet Appeals (BVA), you can search for precedents slightly, however, it'd only he purely amateur stuff...these are the pros, believe it, OK? If you want, give me your thoughts, don't wore how much they'd take under the law, that:s what the paw is designed to do, use it, and use them, OK? If nothing else, just call the!, and find those members near you, OK? Call them, lay out your while scenario...trust !e, there's a very real reason, I assure you, as my wife and I have found out over time, why God invented attorneys, I assure you, I've watched real attorneys do real law, it's not for amateurs, don't try to be Perry Mason or Clarence Darrow, you want the right help aside from vet groups or law school vet law clinics, these guys are very definitely the ones to ask, OK?

I would probably ask the doctors that evaluate your injury for the Medboard. It is usually that if it is a pre-existing condition then it isn't service connected. I am no expert though.

Yours is an interesting case, and I wish I had something constructive to say. What was your original injury? Part of me thinks that if it is technically a new injury, it might be considered service-connected. The fact that it's the same shoulder that was already injured MIGHT not matter. For example, let's say you have a repaired labrum tear, and you got a waiver for that. You could re-injure that same shoulder, but this time injure your rotator cuff. The fact that you previously injured your labrum may actually be immaterial as far as your new injury is concerned.

Do you know what your original pre-service injury was? Do you know what your new one is?