The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for a left shoulder disability due to new and material evidence submitted since the February 1988 decision. The issue is now whether this condition was incurred or aggravated by service.
The deciding factor: New medical evidence shows that the Veteran required reconstructive surgery on his left shoulder in close proximity to his service separation, which may indicate a higher level of impairment than previously considered.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Shoulder Dislocation
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 17, 2010
- Citation
- 1010182
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1010182.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
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: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for right shoulder dislocation and left shoulder dislocation due to a lack of a VA examination and medical opinion in connection with these claims.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's left shoulder disability, finding that there was no increase in severity of the preexisting condition during service and thus not meeting the criteria for direct service connection.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran's TDIU claim from May 4, 2016, to July 24, 2017, is dismissed as moot because he was already receiving a 100% disability rating for PTSD. The SMC claim prior to July 25, 2017, is also dismissed due to the Veteran's other service-connected disabilities not meeting the required criteria.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's left shoulder disability, characterized by dislocation and AC separation, is currently rated at 20 percent. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a higher rating as his symptoms do not more nearly approximate limitation of motion to 25 degrees from side.
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