The Veteran's current left shoulder disability, including degenerative joint disease, rotator cuff tear, and glenoid labrum tear, is related to his military service. The Board finds that the evidence supports granting service connection for these conditions.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners provided multiple opinions supporting a nexus between the Veteran's current left shoulder disability and his military service, including one from an orthopedic surgeon who considered lay evidence of the Veteran's symptoms during service.
- Claimed conditions
- left shoulder degenerative joint disease, left shoulder rotator cuff tear, left shoulder glenoid labrum tear
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 24, 2015
- Citation
- 1536063
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 1536063.
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 claim for a higher rating for left shoulder degenerative joint disease with glenohumeral joint instability was denied as his disability did not more nearly approximate limitation of motion to 25 degrees from the side.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that the current medical opinion is inadequate and the record is incomplete without other opinions. The Veteran's left shoulder disorder may be related to service, but a VA examination is needed to determine if it was caused by or aggravated by his service-connected right shoulder disorder.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's left shoulder disability, including rotator cuff tear with degenerative arthritis and tendonitis, finding that it is related to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for right knee strain, left shoulder rotator cuff tear, and right shoulder rotator cuff tear due to inadequate medical opinions in the November 2020 rating decision. The VA is required to obtain an addendum opinion from a clinician to determine if these conditions are related to service.
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