The veteran was granted a 20 percent rating for his right shoulder disability, but was denied a compensable rating for his left knee surgical scars. The left shoulder disability did not meet the criteria for a higher initial rating.
The deciding factor: The limitation of motion and associated symptoms in the right shoulder more closely approximated the criteria for a 20 percent rating under Diagnostic Code 5201, while the left knee surgical scars were too small to warrant a compensable rating under applicable diagnostic codes.
- Claimed conditions
- Right rotator cuff syndrome, Left shoulder impingement, Left knee surgical scars
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- April 18, 2008
- Citation
- 0813011
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,440 · Granted: 30% (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 0813011.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's claims for service connection for degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine, left shoulder impingement, right shoulder impingement, bilateral plantar fasciitis, and left upper extremity radiculopathy have all been granted. A separate rating is also granted for left upper extremity radiculopathy.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew her appeal for increased ratings of various knee and toe conditions, as well as associated scars.
- Partly granted
The Board denied an initial compensable rating for left knee surgical scars and remanded the claim for a higher initial rating for lumbosacral strain.
- Denied
The appeal for increased ratings for the service-connected left and right knee disabilities was denied as there is no evidence of a compensable disability rating under the applicable criteria.
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