The Board denied service connection for arthritis of the left shoulder as there is no evidence of any left shoulder injury or chronic left shoulder condition during active service, and the most probative medical opinion weighs against a relationship between the current condition and service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner's opinion, based on review of the claims file, was more persuasive than the private physician's statement due to its specificity and reliance on all available evidence.
- Claimed conditions
- arthritis of the left shoulder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 23, 2009
- Citation
- 0902372
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of arthritis of the left shoulder, finding that there is no evidence to support a link between his in-service injury and current condition.
- Granted
Service connection for arthritis of the left shoulder and neck has been granted, while service connection for other conditions remains denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The appeal is remanded for further development of the evidence, including an examination to determine if the Veteran's current left shoulder arthritis is related to his active service.
- Denied
The Board found that the evidence received since the January 1954 and January 1995 rating decisions is not new and material, and therefore denied reopening of the claims for service connection.
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