The Veteran's application to reopen the previously denied claim for service connection for right shoulder disability is granted.,The Veteran's application to reopen the previously denied claim for service connection for cervical spine disability, claimed as neck disability, is granted.,Entitlement to service connection for obesity is denied.,Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including anxiety, depression, and PTSD, is granted.
The deciding factor: New evidence submitted since the November 1991 final decision includes medical treatment records from the SSA and a December 2017 statement in support of claim. This new evidence tends to show a current disability, an assertion of in-service onset with continuity of symptomatology; thus, the Board will reopen this claim.,New evidence submitted since the November 1991 final decision includes additional STRs, medical treatment records, October 2017 VA examination, and December 2017 statement in support of claim. This new evidence tends to show a current disability, an in-service incident, an assertion of continuity of symptomatology; thus, the Board will reopen this claim.,The Veteran's STRs reflect that she had a neck sprain with spasm in November 1984. However, there is no medical evidence showing a nexus between her chronic neck pain and her isolated in-service neck sprain with spasms.,Affording the Veteran the benefit of the doubt, the Board finds that the evidence supports a finding that the acquired psychiatric disabilities are related to active service.
- Claimed conditions
- right shoulder disability, cervical spine disability, obesity, acquired psychiatric disability
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 15, 2019
- Citation
- 19163164
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 19163164.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 20 percent disability rating for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy from April 3, 2023 onward, but denied higher ratings prior to that date. Service connection was also granted for alcohol use disorder as secondary to PTSD with traumatic brain injury.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection for a bilateral knee disability, bilateral upper and lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, lumbar spine disability, cervical spine disability, and chronic pain syndrome due to untimely notices of disagreement.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for tinnitus and a right hip disability, and granted a 30 percent rating for ureterolithiasis. The claim for an increased rating for PTSD was denied, while other claims were remanded.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for multiple disabilities, including cervical spine and thoracolumbar spine disabilities, radiculopathies, a bladder disability, headaches, a left knee disability, an acquired psychiatric disorder, and bilateral conjunctivitis. The Board also granted entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disability.
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