The Board has determined that the effective date for the grant of service connection for a right shoulder disability and associated surgical scar, as well as SMC based on aid and attendance, is May 13, 2015.
The deciding factor: An earlier effective date prior to May 13, 2015 was not warranted due to the absence of any reference to the right shoulder in the February 28, 2012 claim for service connection. The Veteran's agent provided a statement that an application for secondary service connection should be inferred or implied, but there is insufficient evidence to support this inference.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Shoulder Disability, Right Shoulder Scar
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 25, 2017
- Citation
- 1718532
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 1718532.
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.
- 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 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's right shoulder disability is related to his service-connected TMJ.
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