The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right shoulder disability, finding that there was no evidence to support a nexus between his current condition and his military service or any service-connected disabilities. The Board also found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for secondary service connection.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners provided opinions stating that the Veteran's right shoulder disability is less likely related to his service-connected disabilities, including neuropathy of the upper extremities.
- Claimed conditions
- right shoulder pain, subacromial bursitis, rotator cuff tear status/post repair
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 28, 2020
- Citation
- 20006025
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,911 · Granted: 10% (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 20006025.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied service connection for lower back pain and right shoulder pain, but has remanded the claim of major depressive disorder with suicidal tendency due to a duty to assist error.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's requests to reopen previously denied service connection claims for various joint conditions, including right ankle arthritis, left ankle arthritis, right shoulder pain, left shoulder pain, right knee arthritis, and left knee arthritis. The skin condition claim is remanded.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a right shoulder pain disability and denied the claims for erectile dysfunction, left shoulder condition, diabetes, kidney failure, and stomach upper and lower conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied service connection for neck pain, right knee pain, and right shoulder pain. The claim for migraine headaches was also denied. The case is remanded for further action on the obstructive sleep apnea claim.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.