The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for right shoulder disability, finding that there is no credible evidence of a link between his current right shoulder conditions and his active service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found no medical nexus between the Veteran’s current right shoulder disabilities and his in-service football injury, citing the lack of documented complaints or diagnoses related to the right shoulder during service and post-service years.
- 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
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 Board denied service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the veteran's claimed conditions, including right shoulder arthritis, left shoulder arthritis, right hip condition, left hip condition, low back disability, and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, as there was no evidence of in-service injury or illness related to these conditions.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's service connection for left shoulder strain, labral tear, acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis, and tendinitis was granted, while the effective date prior to November 11, 2023, for migraine headaches was denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for a right shoulder injury to the agency of original jurisdiction for an adequate medical opinion that considers relevant lay statements and addresses right shoulder arthritis.
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