The Board has granted increased ratings of 20 percent each for osteoarthritis of the right and left shoulders, effective from the date of receipt of the June 1999 claim.
The deciding factor: The veteran's shoulder disabilities are manifested by limitation of motion to shoulder level with pain at extremities of motion, which meets the criteria for a rating in excess of 20 percent under Diagnostic Code 5201.
- Claimed conditions
- Osteoarthritis of the Left Shoulder, Osteoarthritis of the Right Shoulder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- January 31, 2003
- Citation
- 0301940
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,464 · Granted: 14% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0301940.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran requires personal care services due to a need for regular or extensive instruction or supervision without which his ability to function in daily life would be seriously impaired. The appeal is remanded to determine if it is in the best interest of the Veteran to participate in the PCAFC program and provide complete notice of the decision on his claim.
- Granted
The Veteran's right shoulder disability is rated at 30 percent since January 8, 2016. The Board found that the Veteran's range of motion most closely approximates a limitation midway between his side and shoulder level.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's right shoulder sprain and osteoarthritis, as well as his left shoulder sprain, are service-connected.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment for the period prior to September 25, 2013.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.