The Board has determined that there is equipoise of evidence regarding whether the veteran's current left shoulder and neck muscle strain is related to service. As such, service connection for these conditions is granted.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence is in equipoise as to whether the veteran's current left shoulder and neck muscle strain is related to his military service, with the examiner noting that without hard evidence of injury to the left shoulder in service, an opinion could not be rendered by that examiner without resort to speculation.
- Claimed conditions
- muscle strain of the left shoulder, muscle strain of the neck
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 26, 2007
- Citation
- 0712308
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 0712308.
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.
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The Board has granted an initial rating of 40 percent for the service-connected lumbar spine disability, effective October 1, 1999. The veteran's cervical spine disability is rated under Diagnostic Code 5243.
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- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected musculoligamentous strain, right knee, is currently rated at 10 percent and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.
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