The Board has granted service connection for left shoulder osteoarthritis. The right shoulder osteoarthritis is found to be at least as likely as not related to the Veteran's in-service injury, but an opinion on whether it was aggravated by his service-connected left shoulder disability could not be provided without speculation.
The deciding factor: The May 2013 VA examiner opined that the right shoulder osteoarthritis is less likely than not caused or aggravated by the service-connected left shoulder condition. The examiner's rationale for this opinion, however, was based on a lack of explanation regarding how the Veteran's osteoarthritis is due to his service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Shoulder Osteoarthritis, Right Shoulder Osteoarthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 17, 2014
- Citation
- 1446155
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 1446155.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
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 disabilities do not result in the physical loss or permanent loss of use of his hands or feet, nor does he have a severe burn injury. Therefore, he is ineligible for financial assistance for an automobile and adaptive equipment.
- Granted
The Veteran's right shoulder glenohumeral joint and acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis resulted in limited range of motion, with abduction limited to 25 degrees from the side. The Board granted a 40 percent disability rating for this condition.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's left shoulder disability is not a separate and distinct condition from his service-connected thoracotomy pain syndrome, thus denying a separate rating for this condition.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's right shoulder disorder, diagnosed as osteoarthritis, is due to her service and grants service connection for this condition.
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