The Board has granted service connection for DJD of the right shoulder, left shoulder, and arthritis of the thoracic and lumbar spine. The conditions are related to service.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions provided by private doctors supported a nexus between the Veteran's current conditions and his military service, including specific incidents during service that he claimed caused or aggravated his conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD) of the right shoulder, Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD) of the left shoulder, Arthritis of the thoracic and lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 31, 2019
- Citation
- A19002436
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 Board has decided to remand the cases for a VA medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's shoulder disabilities are at least as likely as not proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected generalized anxiety disorder.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for a higher disability rating for arthritis of the thoracic and lumbar spine was denied. The current rating is 40 percent, effective from October 6, 2010.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection has been reopened, but the issues of service connection for low back disability, right shoulder DJD, left shoulder DJD, right hip DJD, and left hip DJD have been remanded due to lack of evidence.
- Denied
The Veteran's initial claim for a higher rating for his left shoulder DJD was denied. The current disability rating of 30 percent is the highest available under Diagnostic Code 5201, which pertains to limitation of motion of the arm at shoulder level and midway between side and shoulder level.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.