The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral shoulder disability, diagnosed as degenerative arthritis, was not incurred in or aggravated by active military service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran's bilateral shoulder arthritis was less likely than not related to any incident of active service, including the July 1958 rafter fall and shoulder injury reported by the Veteran. The medical evidence and radiographs were consistent with age-related osteoarthritis.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral shoulder arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 28, 2016
- Citation
- 1648309
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1648309.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions including bilateral shoulder arthritis, bilateral hearing loss, neck pain, arthritis of the low back, and right hand arthritis due to inconsistencies in his statements regarding the onset and chronicity of symptoms.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has found that the Veteran experienced arthritis of the bilateral shoulders, hips, lumbar spine, and left knee since active duty service. Service connection is granted for these conditions.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for entitlement to service connection for bilateral shoulder arthritis due to an inadequate VA examination and potential outstanding private records.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for sleep apnea and bilateral hip arthritis, but denied service connection for bilateral shoulder arthritis. The decision also denied increased ratings for knee disabilities and a compensable rating for PFB.
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