The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right shoulder disability and a left ankle disability, finding that there is no evidence of in-service injury or disease related to these conditions, and no current disabilities are linked to his military service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners found no medical evidence linking the Veteran's current right shoulder and left ankle disabilities to his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- right shoulder rotator cuff tendonitis, left ankle sprain residuals, acromioclavicular degenerative joint disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 21, 2011
- Citation
- 1146658
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 1146658.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings have been granted. The initial rating of 10 percent, but not higher, has been assigned for pulmonary sarcoidosis. Service connection has also been established for migraine headaches, degenerative arthritis in the left knee, right knee disorder (osteoarthritis), right ankle sprain, right shoulder rotator cuff tendonitis, bilateral flat feet, and various foot conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to duty-to-assist errors and inadequate medical opinions. The issues of entitlement to TDIU are also being remanded as they are inextricably intertwined with the other claims.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for left ankle tibiotalar joint osteoarthritis, right ankle tibiotalar joint osteoarthritis, and right shoulder rotator cuff tendonitis. The decision is based on the Veteran's competent lay statements, his service treatment records showing bilateral ankle complaints during service in March and April 1997, and a September 2023 private opinion linking these conditions to his active duty.
- Granted
The Board has granted an increased rating to 20 percent for the Veteran's right shoulder rotator cuff tendonitis with arthritis, effective October 26, 2012.
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