The Board has determined that the evidence does not support a finding of a current left shoulder disability, and thus service connection for this condition cannot be granted. The right shoulder and left hip claims are also pending.
The deciding factor: There is no current diagnosis of a left shoulder disability in the medical records provided by VA or at the hearing. The Veteran's complaints of pain do not constitute a compensable disability under Sanchez-Benitez v. Principi, 259 F.3d 1356 (Fed. Cir. 2001).
- Claimed conditions
- Left Shoulder Disability, Right Shoulder Disability, Left Hip Disability (including radiculopathy as secondary to service-connected low back disability)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 3, 2015
- Citation
- 1537722
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 1537722.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The claims for service connection for right and left shoulder disabilities are remanded. The claim for sleep disorder (claimed as sleep apnea) remains denied.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an effective date before April 1, 2018 for a 20% rating for left shoulder disability was denied. The appeal also resulted in the assignment of a 20% rating from April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2018, and a TDIU granted from April 1, 2018 to September 3, 2025.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left shoulder disabilities, finding insufficient evidence to establish an in-service event or injury related to his shoulders. The Veteran's current shoulder conditions are not linked to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's right shoulder disability, low back condition, bilateral knee disabilities, and left shoulder strain have been granted service connection. The Veteran's low back condition has been increased to a 40 percent evaluation, while the bilateral knee conditions remain at their current 10 percent evaluations.
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