The Board has granted service connection for left shoulder arthritis, right shoulder arthritis, and a respiratory disability (including asthma and chronic bronchitis). The diagnoses are based on the Veteran's in-service symptoms and post-service treatment records.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran’s diagnosed conditions were at least as likely as not incurred or caused by service due to his reported exposure to smoke, burn pits, and sandstorms during deployment.
- Claimed conditions
- left shoulder arthritis, right shoulder arthritis, respiratory disability (including asthma and chronic bronchitis)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 28, 2019
- Citation
- 19122986
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 19122986.
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 Board denied service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the veteran's claimed conditions, including right shoulder arthritis, left shoulder arthritis, right hip condition, left hip condition, low back disability, and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, as there was no evidence of in-service injury or illness related to these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for a right shoulder injury to the agency of original jurisdiction for an adequate medical opinion that considers relevant lay statements and addresses right shoulder arthritis.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right shoulder arthritis and denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The remaining claims were remanded to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
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