The Board finds that the Veteran's current left shoulder disability is less likely than not caused by or aggravated by his military service, as there is no evidence of a pre-existing injury and the most probable cause is attributed to a fall in 2010.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found the most likely cause of the Veteran's current left shoulder disability was as a result of his 2010 fall on the ice, resolving any previous injuries or conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Shoulder Strain, Left Rotator Cuff Tear, Arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 30, 2016
- Citation
- 1639881
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 1639881.
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.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty-to-assist error in previous examinations, requiring additional information on right shoulder ROM measurements without medication effects.
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