The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for increased rating of left shoulder strain with arthritis is denied.,The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for service-connected left shoulder strain with arthritis is denied. The current evaluation of 20 percent is the highest possible under applicable diagnostic codes.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for a sinus condition, to include as due to an undiagnosed illness from Persian Gulf War service, is denied.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence showing that a formal or informal claim for increased evaluation of left shoulder strain with arthritis was received prior to October 1, 2015. The effective date cannot be set earlier than this date.,The Veteran's service-connected left shoulder strain with arthritis has resulted in pain and limitation of motion of the arm above shoulder level. However, his muscle strength is normal, and there is no evidence showing that the range of motion is limited to 25 degrees from the side as required for a higher rating under Diagnostic Code 5201.,The Veteran's sinus condition has not been diagnosed by medical professionals and does not meet the criteria for a qualifying chronic disability under VA regulations. The symptoms reported do not align with any known clinical diagnoses.
- Claimed conditions
- left shoulder strain with arthritis, sinus condition
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- August 27, 2019
- Citation
- 19166123
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,446 · Granted: 21% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19166123.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the VA examination provided in April 2024 was inadequate for adjudication purposes and remands the case for a new examination to determine if the Veteran's sinus condition is related to his military service.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for sinus condition, left ear hearing loss, right ear hearing loss, and sleep apnea as there was no current disability related to these conditions during the pendency of the claim. The Veteran's self-reported symptoms were not supported by medical evidence.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran requested to withdraw all his appeals for service connection of sinus condition, migraine condition, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). As a result, the Board dismissed these claims.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for benign prostate hyperplasia is denied due to lack of a nexus between the condition and his military service.,Service connection for sinus condition is denied as there was no in-service event or injury, and the current diagnosis occurred over 50 years after separation.,The lower back condition claim is remanded because the VA examiner found that the Veteran waited nearly 50 years to seek treatment.
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