The Board denied a higher rating for the Veteran's left shoulder disability, finding that the evidence did not meet or approximate the criteria for a 30 percent rating based on limited motion of the arm to 25 degrees from side.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran’s range of motion was not limited to 25 degrees from side and determined that his functional impairment did not warrant a higher rating.
- Claimed conditions
- left shoulder degenerative arthritis (DJD), strain, impingement syndrome, bicipital tendonitis, labral tear including superior labral anterior-posterior lesion (SLAP), acromioclavicular (AC) joint osteoarthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- August 13, 2019
- Citation
- 19162604
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,480 · Granted: 26% (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 19162604.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal regarding a rating for muscle atrophy due to thoracic outlet syndrome and related conditions has been dismissed as the appellant requested withdrawal of the appeal.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for increased disability evaluations for his right and left shoulder disabilities were dismissed because the issues were already pending in a Higher-Level Review, which was not withdrawn before filing the Board appeal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for a temporary total rating based on hospitalization or convalescence due to his service-connected cervical spine disability is remanded as the record does not include post-surgical follow-up treatment records from the University of Virginia Hospital.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed all appeals related to temporary total disability ratings for shoulder disabilities and the award of TDIU with an effective date prior to March 25, 2015.
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