The Veteran's right ankle tendinopathy with degenerative joint disease is now rated at 20 percent effective from September 19, 2017. The initial rating for her right shoulder tendonitis remains at 20 percent.
The deciding factor: The January 2018 VA examination found the Veteran's right ankle tendinopathy with degenerative joint disease to be moderate in nature and granted a 20% rating effective from September 19, 2017. The prior ratings for her right shoulder tendonitis remain at 20 percent.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Shoulder Tendonitis, Right Ankle Tendinopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- May 6, 2019
- Citation
- 19134520
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,341 · Granted: 33% (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 19134520.
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.
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The Board has determined that the cause of the Veteran's death was cardiopulmonary arrest due to aspiration, and they have found a duty to assist error in their initial decision. They are now requesting a medical opinion to determine if the service-connected conditions contributed to the Veteran's death.
- Granted
The Veteran's right shoulder tendonitis is rated at 20 percent from February 6, 2017. The rating for thoracolumbar spine intervertebral disc syndrome remains at 40 percent prior to September 22, 2025 and in excess of 40 percent thereafter.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities, as his combined service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for right and left hip disabilities, including as secondary to a service-connected lumbar spine disability. The AOJ is required to obtain new medical opinions considering all evidence of record.
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