The Board has granted service connection for bilateral shoulder strain, finding that the evidence is at least in relative equipoise as to whether the Veteran's current condition is related to his active duty service. Service connection was denied for Barrett’s esophagus due to lack of a nexus between the condition and service.
The deciding factor: The Board found conflicting medical opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's current conditions and service, but granted service connection for bilateral shoulder strain based on the evidence being in equipoise. For Barrett’s esophagus, the Board determined that there was no medical documentation of chronic UGI problems until after service, leading to a denial of service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral shoulder strain, Barrett’s esophagus (also claimed as GERD and gastritis)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 6, 2019
- Citation
- 19109559
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,456 · Granted: 23% (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 19109559.
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 determined that there was a duty to assist error and remands the claims for bilateral shoulder strain, ankle tendonitis, and patellofemoral pain syndrome due to inadequate VA opinions.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral shoulder disability is related to service, resolving all doubts in his favor. The evidence shows a current diagnosis of bilateral shoulder strain and degenerative arthritis, which the Veteran attributes to injuries sustained during military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted service connection for middle back strain. The claims of service connection for PTSD, bilateral hip sprain, and bilateral shoulder strain are remanded due to a duty to assist error.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral shoulder strain, resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor.
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