The Veteran's claim for service connection for left ankle sprain has been reopened and granted. Service connection is also granted for right shoulder rotator cuff tear with degenerative changes, but the claim for left thoracic lipomatous mass (claimed as soft tissue sarcoma) is denied. The Veteran's left eye chronic photophobia and epiphora are rated at 10 percent.
The deciding factor: The evidence supports a finding that the Veteran has current disabilities related to his service, including right shoulder rotator cuff tear with degenerative changes and left eye chronic photophobia and epiphora. Service connection for these conditions is granted. The claim for left thoracic lipomatous mass (claimed as soft tissue sarcoma) was denied due to lack of a diagnosis and no evidence linking the condition to service or herbicide exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- left ankle sprain, right shoulder rotator cuff tear with degenerative changes, left thoracic lipomatous mass (claimed as soft tissue sarcoma), left eye chronic photophobia and epiphora
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- June 7, 2019
- Citation
- 19144333
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for left shoulder strain and left ankle sprain, finding that the evidence was in approximate balance showing injuries during active duty training (ADT) from August 12, 2023 to August 25, 2023.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for hypogonadism with fatigue, GERD, and a right ear hearing loss disability. The Veteran's left rib disability was denied, and the ratings for his left shoulder injury, left hip bursitis, impairment of the left thigh, left knee retropatellar pain syndrome limitation of extension, and left ankle sprain were either granted or denied with specific rating percentages.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for left ankle sprain, finding that the Veteran's current condition is causally related to an in-service injury.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed as the Veteran did not timely file a Board Appeal request.
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