The Veteran's service-connected left shoulder disability is restored to a 30 percent rating effective November 1, 2015. A higher rating for the service-connected depressive disorder prior to August 22, 2016, is granted.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show that the Veteran's left shoulder disability was productive of intermediate between favorable and unfavorable ankylosis or loss of head of, nonunion of, or fibrous union of the humerus. The Veteran’s depressive disorder caused no more than occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks.
- Claimed conditions
- Tendinitis with impingement of the left shoulder, Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD) of the left shoulder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- December 19, 2019
- Citation
- A19003737
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,350 · Granted: 26% (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 A19003737.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for additional VA medical opinions to determine if the Veteran's current disabilities of the hips, shoulders, knees, and cervical spine are related to his active service.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed all claims for service connection due to the Veteran's withdrawal of his legacy appeals.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's PTSD rating is remanded for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his condition. Service connection claims for left shoulder DJD and lower back pain are also remanded due to outstanding treatment records and need for medical opinions on etiology.
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