The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date prior to October 31, 2003 for service connection of left shoulder capsulitis as secondary to diabetes mellitus.
The deciding factor: The earliest record in the claims file indicating intent to apply for service connection was an informal claim received by VA on October 31, 2003. As such, this is the earliest possible effective date available and the Veteran's claim must be denied.
- Claimed conditions
- left shoulder capsulitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- September 15, 2009
- Citation
- 0934424
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 0934424.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's appeal is denied as he does not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 20 percent for left shoulder capsulitis and bicipital tendonitis prior to October 19, 2016. He is granted a 30 percent rating from December 1, 2017, to May 22, 2023, and a 60 percent rating thereafter for his left shoulder disability.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and development of records.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's left shoulder degenerative joint disease and capsulitis are related to his military service.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's left shoulder capsulitis was reduced from a 30 percent rating to a 20 percent rating, effective May 1, 2016. The reduction is granted as the evidence did not demonstrate improvement reasonably certain to continue under ordinary conditions of life.
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