The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for left shoulder condition, including rotator cuff tendonitis and glenohumeral joint osteoarthritis, finding that there was no evidence of a chronic disease in service or related to an in-service injury. The preponderance of the evidence did not support a nexus between current disability and service.
The deciding factor: The VA opinions were highly probative as they considered the Veteran's medical history and provided cogent rationale, while his lay assertions about onset and recurrence of symptoms were found to be insufficient due to lack of medical expertise.
- Claimed conditions
- left shoulder condition, rotator cuff tendonitis, glenohumeral joint osteoarthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 2, 2019
- Citation
- 19124013
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a left shoulder condition, finding that the Veteran's current disability is related to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for back, left wrist, left and right knee, and left and right shoulder conditions due to missing personnel records and an inadequate VA medical opinion.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for multiple conditions, including left and right leg, arm, knee, shoulder, kidney, plantar fasciitis, and back conditions, as further development is needed to address pre-decisional duty to assist errors.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left shoulder conditions as new and relevant evidence was not submitted since the April 2005 rating decision.
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