The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his left shoulder, right wrist, and left wrist conditions have been denied as the evidence does not support a higher rating under the applicable VA rating criteria.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's disabilities are rated based on their current manifestations rather than any service connection or exposure basis. The medical evidence shows that while he experiences pain and functional limitations, his range of motion is within the limits specified for each disability level in the VA rating schedule.
- Claimed conditions
- Recurrent dislocation of the left shoulder with traumatic arthritis, Arthralgia of the right wrist, Tendonitis of the left wrist
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 20, 2010
- Citation
- 1035497
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 1035497.
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 service-connected elbow and wrist disabilities have not met the criteria for a higher disability rating at any time during the appeal period.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for her bilateral wrist disabilities, finding that they are currently manifested by painful and limited motion without ankylosis. The case is remanded to obtain a new VA examination to assess the current severity of her right shoulder disability.
- Granted
The Board has granted higher initial ratings for the Veteran's service-connected degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, tendonitis of the left wrist, and tendonitis of the right wrist. The current evaluations are consistent with the criteria set forth in the rating schedule.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for higher initial ratings for his service-connected lumbar spine and wrist disabilities are being remanded due to the need to obtain additional VA treatment records.
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