The Board has determined that the Veteran's left shoulder rotator cuff surgery is related to his service, including his Reserve duty in 2006. The evidence supports the Veteran's assertions of a pre-existing injury during training and subsequent aggravation during active duty.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran’s current left shoulder condition is related to his military service due to multiple complaints and treatments within a year of his discharge, including a prior surgery in 2008 for a previous shoulder dislocation.
- Claimed conditions
- left shoulder rotator cuff surgery, left shoulder glenohumeral joint instability, traumatic arthritis, Labral tear
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- November 14, 2019
- Citation
- 19185981
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,316 · Granted: 43% (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 19185981.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
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: Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal for a higher rating for service-connected right ankle with traumatic arthritis (claimed as right ankle instability). The Board dismissed the appeal.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claim for a rating higher than 20% for his left shoulder disability, stating that the evidence did not support a higher rating.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the VA examiner's opinions are inadequate for adjudication purposes and thus, the case must be remanded to obtain a new medical opinion addressing causation and aggravation of the right shoulder disability by the service-connected left shoulder glenohumeral joint instability.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's left hip disability is currently rated noncompensable due to painful motion but not showing flexion limited to 45 degrees or less. The Board has remanded the claims for GERD and a right hip disability.
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