The Veteran's appeal for service connection of a left shoulder disability has been dismissed. The Board denied increased ratings for lumbar spine and lower extremity radiculopathy, but granted a temporary TDIU based on the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence of forward flexion limited to 30 degrees or less in the lumbar spine, nor any evidence of ankylosis. The Veteran’s disability does not meet the criteria for higher ratings under the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine.
- Claimed conditions
- left shoulder strain with acromioclavicular joint arthritis (left shoulder disability), degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine (lumbar spine disability)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- June 14, 2018
- Citation
- 18111124
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 18111124.
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, lumbar spine disability, right and left foot disabilities, and hypertension due to inadequate examinations.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU have been dismissed due to the withdrawal of his representative. The Board has also remanded cases involving right and left knee disabilities, as well as a TDIU claim.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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