The Board denied service connection for a left arm, shoulder, and elbow disability as secondary to a cervical spine disorder due to lack of evidence linking the current disability to an in-service injury or disease.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners concluded that there is no causal relationship between the Veteran's current shoulder impingement syndrome and his service-connected degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine, nor was it related to any in-service injury or disease.
- Claimed conditions
- left arm, shoulder, elbow
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 31, 2020
- Citation
- 20007802
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,776 · Granted: 24% (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 20007802.
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.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to the death of the appellant, and no substitute has been filed within the required timeframe.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and conducting examinations to assess the Veteran's service-connected disabilities. The TDIU claim will be reconsidered based on this additional evidence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to conflicting medical opinions and incomplete examination reports. The Veteran's left arm and shoulder conditions are being reviewed, along with his claim for SMC based on need for regular aid and attendance.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for bilateral ankle, shoulder, and back disabilities was dismissed due to the failure to timely file a VA Form 10182 within one year of the December 1997 rating decision.
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.