Veterans’ RightsAn independent resource for veterans
← All decisions
Granted

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for a right shoulder disorder and granted service connection for several other disorders, including hearing loss, tinnitus, pneumothorax residuals, abdomen disorder, penis numbness, and skin disorder (chloracne).

The deciding factor: New evidence was submitted that supported reopening the claim for service connection for a right shoulder disorder.

Claimed conditions
right shoulder disorder, chronic right arm disorder, chronic left arm disorder, chronic right hip disorder, chronic left hip disorder, chronic upper back/neck disorder, chronic mid-back disorder, chronic lower back disorder, chronic right leg disorder, chronic left leg disorder, residuals, fractured ribs, hearing loss, tinnitus, residuals, left pneumothorax, chronic abdomen disorder, numbness of the penis, chronic skin disorder (chloracne)
How they argued it
Reopened with new and material evidence
Exposure basis
None
Rating
Not verified here — check the original decision
Decision date
January 7, 2004
Citation
0400294

Veterans Law Judge

JOY A. MCDONALD

Decisions by this judge: 1,293 · Granted: 17% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0400294.

What this means for you

A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.

What you can do next

Related decisions

Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.

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.