The Board found no medical evidence linking the current left shoulder impairment with service, and denied the veteran's claim for service connection.
The deciding factor: There was insufficient competent medical evidence to establish a link between the veteran's current left shoulder condition and his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- left shoulder impairment, severe degenerative joint disease (DJD), osteoarthritic destruction of the acromioclavicular joint
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 14, 2003
- Citation
- 0307162
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,467 · Granted: 18% (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 0307162.
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for cervical strain and left shoulder impairment, finding that the evidence supports a direct link to the Veteran's military service.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for tinnitus, but remanded the claims for service connection and increased ratings for various other conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the claims of service connection for kyphosis, left shoulder impairment, and sleep impairment. The Veteran's representative and any other interested parties must be contacted to determine if they still wish to pursue these claims. They should also provide lay statements from individuals who have firsthand knowledge of any in-service left shoulder injury. Additionally, a VA Form 21-8940 with instructions for completion should be provided to the Veteran to determine eligibility for TDIU.
- Granted
The Veteran's left shoulder impairment is granted as service connection due to continuity of symptoms since his military service.
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