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 assigned
- None in this 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 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 19166123.
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