The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of direct service connection for his shoulder disability, and denied all other claims.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's bilateral shoulder disability was attributed to fibromyalgia rather than service-connected disabilities. His thoracic spine and peripheral neuropathy disabilities were rated appropriately based on their severity.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral shoulder disability, thoracic spine disability, peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity, peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- January 10, 2018
- Citation
- 1801558
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 1801558.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for Parkinson's disease, emphysema, muscle cramps, bilateral shoulder disability, and neck disability. However, it granted service connection for peripheral vascular disease and asthma.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple disabilities, including bilateral wrist, ankle, foot, shoulder, allergic rhinitis, sinusitis, lumbosacral spine, and carpal tunnel syndrome, as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to active service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for peripheral neuropathy and cataracts, as due to exposure to herbicide agents, prior to August 10, 2022, for further development.
- Partly granted
The Board granted readjudication of the claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, and peripheral neuropathy of the left and right lower extremities due to new and relevant evidence having been received.
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