The Veteran's claims for service connection and higher initial ratings were denied. The low back disability was not rated higher than 40 percent since February 1, 2008. The bilateral shoulder disorder may not be related to military service.
The deciding factor: The VA compensation examiner determined that the current bilateral shoulder disorder is less likely than not related to the Veteran's military service.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Arthritis of the Shoulders, Chronic Lumbosacral Strain
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 24, 2009
- Citation
- 0915439
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 0915439.
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 Veteran's left hip disability is currently rated at 10 percent for limitation of extension, and his lumbosacral strain is rated at 10 percent. The Board has determined that neither condition warrants a higher rating.
- Denied
The Veteran's chronic lumbosacral strain is currently rated at 40 percent, but the Board finds no evidence of unfavorable ankylosis or functional impairment equivalent to such.,The Veteran's neurogenic bladder condition has been assigned a maximum rating of 60 percent and does not warrant higher ratings.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD was granted. The rating for his chronic lumbosacral strain was reduced from 20% to 10%, but the Board found this reduction improper and restored the original 20% rating.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for PTSD and chronic lumbosacral strain are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining treatment records and scheduling a VA examination.
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