The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 20 percent for degenerative joint disease of the left shoulder prior to June 21, 2019 was denied. A 30 percent rating is granted for the condition since that date.,The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 40 percent for post-operative residuals of dislocation of the left shoulder remains denied.,The Veteran's claim for a TDIU prior to June 21, 2019 was remanded due to lack of issuance of an SSOC.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show limitation of motion to 25 degrees or less from the side before June 21, 2019 for the degenerative joint disease of the left shoulder. The Veteran's range of motion was limited due to pain.,There is no evidence showing nonunion or loss of head of the humerus in the post-operative residuals of dislocation of the left shoulder.,The TDIU claim prior to June 21, 2019 was not addressed as a separate issue and thus remanded.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint Disease of the Left Shoulder, Post-operative Residuals of Dislocation of the Left Shoulder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 17, 2019
- Citation
- 19179191
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,757 · Granted: 23% (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 19179191.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's current obstructive sleep apnea is proximately due to his obesity, which was caused by his service-connected degenerative joint disease of the left shoulder, left knee degenerative joint disease, and right knee degenerative joint disease. As such, service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to these conditions has been granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for an increased rating for his left shoulder disability and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examination and development of evidence. The Veteran is also reminded that he must cooperate with VA by submitting completed forms and providing relevant information.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for additional development due to inconsistencies in the opinions provided by a nurse practitioner regarding the Veteran's flare-ups and their impact on disability ratings.
- Granted
The Veteran's left shoulder disability, which manifested pain at 25 degrees of flexion and abduction, is granted a 30 percent disability rating for the entire initial rating period prior to March 1, 2018.
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