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Denied

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right and left shoulder disabilities, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under Diagnostic Code 5201.

The deciding factor: The VA examinations documented motion of the arms at levels consistent with the Veteran’s statements but below the required limitation for a higher rating.

Claimed conditions
right shoulder arthritis with shoulder strain, impingement syndrome, and rotator cuff tendonitis and tear, left shoulder arthritis with shoulder strain, impingement syndrome, and rotator cuff tendonitis and tear
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
None in this decision
Decision date
October 15, 2019
Citation
A19001937

Veterans Law Judge

JOHN Z. JONES

Decisions by this judge: 2,341 · Granted: 33% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)

Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.

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 A19001937.

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

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