The veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied. The RO will need to provide additional examinations and consider the evidence in determining whether a right shoulder disability is present, as well as review all other issues on appeal.
The deciding factor: The decision was based on the lack of current medical evidence supporting the presence of a right shoulder disability and the denial of service connection for the other conditions due to insufficient evidence or failure to meet the standard of proof required by VA regulations.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Shoulder Disability, Lumbosacral Strain (Low Back Pain), Left Shoulder Disability, Bilateral Pes Planus (Flat Feet), Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome of the Left Knee, Right Knee Disability (Status Post Medial Meniscus Tear)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 6, 2000
- Citation
- 0031799
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0031799.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The claims for service connection for right and left shoulder disabilities are remanded. The claim for sleep disorder (claimed as sleep apnea) remains denied.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an effective date before April 1, 2018 for a 20% rating for left shoulder disability was denied. The appeal also resulted in the assignment of a 20% rating from April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2018, and a TDIU granted from April 1, 2018 to September 3, 2025.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left shoulder disabilities, finding insufficient evidence to establish an in-service event or injury related to his shoulders. The Veteran's current shoulder conditions are not linked to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's right shoulder disability, low back condition, bilateral knee disabilities, and left shoulder strain have been granted service connection. The Veteran's low back condition has been increased to a 40 percent evaluation, while the bilateral knee conditions remain at their current 10 percent evaluations.
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