The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for right shoulder disability, finding that there is no medical evidence to support a link between his current condition and his active duty service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found no credible evidence of a nexus between the Veteran’s current right shoulder conditions and his in-service injury during football.
- Claimed conditions
- right shoulder arthritis, rotator cuff tendonitis, acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis, degenerative joint osteoarthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 27, 2020
- Citation
- 20006443
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,196 · Granted: 17% (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 20006443.
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 Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining clarification from the August 2017 VA examiner regarding which symptoms are related to his service-connected left trapezius strain and whether any non-service-connected conditions represent a progression of that disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's right shoulder disorder and right knee strain are being remanded for further examination to determine if they are caused or aggravated by his service-connected internal derangement of the left knee, considering whether obesity is a substantial factor in their development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's November 2018 notice of disagreement was timely, and the appeal is remanded for further review.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and dismissed all other appeals related to various joint conditions.
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.