The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for left shoulder, right shoulder, and low back disabilities were denied. The RO found that the Veteran’s conditions did not meet the criteria for a disability rating higher than 30 percent for his left shoulder, 20 percent for his right shoulder, or any level above 20 percent for his low back prior to November 29, 2016. However, he was granted TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's disability ratings were denied as the evidence did not show that his conditions warranted a higher rating under VA’s rating schedule criteria.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Shoulder DJD (Degenerative Joint Disease), Low Back DJD/DDD, Right Shoulder DJD
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 26, 2019
- Citation
- 19113778
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,828 · Granted: 32% (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 19113778.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for right shoulder, left shoulder, and low back disabilities due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various hip, knee, and ankle disabilities as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected degenerative disc disease (DDD) and intervertebral disc disease (IVDS) of the lumbar spine.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating in excess of 30 percent for his right shoulder disability, to include DJD, is being remanded due to the need for additional development and examination.
- Granted
The Veteran's left shoulder disability has been rated as 20 percent disabling since June 11, 2012. The rating was increased to 40 percent from May 9, 2013 to May 8, 2015 and back down to 20 percent thereafter.
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