The Veteran's left shoulder strain is not service-connected, but his lumbar spondylolisthesis has been granted service connection.
The deciding factor: Service treatment records show the Veteran sustained two injuries to his left shoulder during service. However, there are no residuals of these injuries post-service. The Veteran's current diagnosis of lumbar spondylolisthesis is linked to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Shoulder Strain, Lumbar Spondylolisthesis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- September 21, 2015
- Citation
- 1540468
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 1540468.
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.
- 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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a left shoulder strain and assigned a 20% rating effective March 16, 2023. The appellant is eligible to the direct payment of attorney fees based on past-due benefits awarded in the November 2023 rating decision.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right and left shoulder strains, finding that the current ratings of 20% are appropriate based on limited motion in both shoulders.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for left shoulder strain, right knee strain, and left knee strain (claimed as sprain) due to a lack of evidence showing these conditions began during active military service or are related to an in-service injury.
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