The Board has granted an effective date of May 1, 2016 for the grant of service connection for left shoulder acromioclavicular degenerative joint disease. The decision is based on the Veteran's separation from active service and the diagnosis of mild degenerative changes in the left acromioclavicular joint prior to his discharge.
The deciding factor: The effective date was determined as May 1, 2016 because it is the day following the Veteran’s separation from service and also when he filed a claim for service connection within one year of his separation.
- Claimed conditions
- left shoulder acromioclavicular degenerative joint disease, left shoulder acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 0%
- Decision date
- January 25, 2019
- Citation
- 19106221
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,374 · Granted: 19% (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 19106221.
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 left shoulder acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis is currently rated at 20 percent, effective August 11, 2013. The Board found that the disability does not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher rating under any applicable diagnostic code.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's request to restore a higher rating for his left shoulder acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis, strain and rotator cuff tendonitis from 30% back to 20%, finding that the evidence did not show severity of symptoms resulting in limitation of flexion of the left arm to midway between the side and shoulder level.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection for left and right shoulder disabilities are being remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the appeal as there was a full grant of benefits for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, left shoulder acromioclavicular degenerative joint disease, and right shoulder degenerative arthritis with rotator cuff tendonitis in an August 2024 rating decision.
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