The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for his right shoulder and lumbar spine disabilities, as well as a TDIU claim, were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support higher ratings based on functional loss or pain.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations showed no ankylosis in either joint, and the Veteran's range of motion was within normal limits with some limitations due to pain but still sufficient for a 20% rating. The lumbar spine disability did not meet criteria for IVDS as there were no prescribed bed rest episodes.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Shoulder Labral Tear and Acromioclavicular Separation with Tendonitis and Degenerative Arthritis, Mid and Upper Thoracic Myofascial Strain with Degenerative Disc Disease and Herniated Nucleus Pulposus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 12, 2019
- Citation
- 19111050
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 19111050.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
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