The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right shoulder disorder, finding that it was not shown as chronic in service and did not manifest to a compensable degree within the applicable presumptive period. The preponderance of evidence is against finding a medical nexus between the Veteran’s right shoulder disorder and an in-service injury or disease.
The deciding factor: The Board found conflicting opinions regarding whether the Veteran's right shoulder disorder was related to service, with the VA examiner's opinion being more probative due to its consideration of all pertinent evidence and provided rationale. The Veteran is not competent to provide a nexus opinion regarding this issue as it requires medical knowledge beyond his competence.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Shoulder Impingement Syndrome, Bicipital Tendon Tear, Degenerative Arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 30, 2020
- Citation
- 20008046
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
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Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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- Partly granted
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The Board has denied service connection for PTSD, type II diabetes mellitus, diabetic nephropathy (chronic kidney disease), peripheral neuropathy of the right and left upper and lower extremities, varicose veins (PVD) of the right and left leg, and degenerative arthritis as there is no evidence to support a current diagnosis or that these conditions are related to service.
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