The VA denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for degenerative joint disease of the left shoulder, finding that there is no medical evidence linking his current condition to either his military service or a service-connected disability.
The deciding factor: Medical opinions were divided on whether the Veteran's current degenerative joint disease was related to his military service or a service-connected left elbow injury. The VA determined that the lack of a clear link made it impossible to grant service connection based on secondary service connection criteria.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint Disease of the Left Shoulder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 15, 2011
- Citation
- 1114944
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 1114944.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's current obstructive sleep apnea is proximately due to his obesity, which was caused by his service-connected degenerative joint disease of the left shoulder, left knee degenerative joint disease, and right knee degenerative joint disease. As such, service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to these conditions has been granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for an increased rating for his left shoulder disability and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examination and development of evidence. The Veteran is also reminded that he must cooperate with VA by submitting completed forms and providing relevant information.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for additional development due to inconsistencies in the opinions provided by a nurse practitioner regarding the Veteran's flare-ups and their impact on disability ratings.
- Granted
The Veteran's left shoulder disability, which manifested pain at 25 degrees of flexion and abduction, is granted a 30 percent disability rating for the entire initial rating period prior to March 1, 2018.
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