The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for his right shoulder, left shoulder, and cervical spine disabilities have been denied. The Board found that the Veteran’s disability pictures do not meet the criteria for a higher rating under applicable diagnostic codes.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service-connected conditions did not result in more than the minimum required functional impairment to warrant a higher rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical Spine Degenerative Disc Disease, Left Shoulder Degenerative Joint Disease, Right Shoulder Degenerative Joint Disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 12, 2019
- Citation
- 19193705
Veterans Law Judge
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 19193705.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's initial disability rating for her service-connected right shoulder degenerative joint disease and rotator cuff tendonitis is denied as the evidence does not show that her range of motion is limited to less than 25 degrees from the side.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for his cervical spine disability and left upper extremity radiculopathy ratings, finding that no pending claim prior to March 10, 2020, supported these requests.
- Denied
The Veteran's left shoulder condition, including degenerative joint disease and a rotator cuff tear, is currently rated at 20 percent. The Board found that the evidence does not support an increase in rating beyond this level.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claims for an increased rating for right shoulder degenerative joint disease and right shoulder instability due to inadequate VA examination prior to the December 12, 2024 rating decision.
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