The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for low back pain, bilateral shoulder disorder (right and left), and left elbow disorder due to new and material evidence submitted since the March 2015 rating decisions.,Service connection will be granted for these conditions as they are found to be related to service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's statements and lay statements from fellow service members describe continuous symptoms since service, raising a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claims.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Shoulder Disorder (Right and Left), Left Elbow Disorder, Low Back Pain
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 22, 2019
- Citation
- 19165087
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 961 · Granted: 20% (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 19165087.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for left eye condition, bilateral knee pain, low back pain, and bilateral shoulder pain due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The Veteran's STRs are incomplete and need to be obtained, as well as VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of any diagnosed disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a Total Disability Rating Based on Unemployability (TDIU) prior to February 16, 2021, finding that his service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from securing and maintaining substantial gainful employment during those periods.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, finding that the evidence did not support higher ratings or service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the Veteran's claim for SMC based on a need for regular aid and attendance of another person due to an inadequate VA examination and conflicting evidence regarding the impact of her service-connected conditions.
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