The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating of his right shoulder sprain was denied as the range of motion in his arm is not limited to midway between his side and shoulder level, which would warrant a higher disability rating.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's range of motion did not meet the criteria for a higher disability rating (30%) as it exceeded 90 degrees, warranting only a 20% rating.
- Claimed conditions
- right shoulder sprain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 17, 2019
- Citation
- 19104531
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,446 · Granted: 21% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19104531.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for earlier effective dates for service connection of various conditions has been dismissed as the claims are final due to lack of timely appeal within one year of the October 2009 rating decision.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate VA examination and opinion, requiring a new examination and opinion to determine if the Veteran's right shoulder disability is related to service.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's right shoulder disability had its onset during service and is related to his active duty, granting service connection for this condition.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's right shoulder sprain and generalized anxiety disorder were granted increased ratings, effective November 8, 2023, for the date of claim.,An earlier effective date was also granted for both conditions, with the right shoulder sprain being effective from November 10, 2022 (within one year prior to the date of claim) and generalized anxiety disorder from December 1, 2022.
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