The Veteran's left shoulder disorder is not service-connected, but his right shoulder disorder is granted as secondary to his service-connected left knee disability.,The Board found that the Veteran's right shoulder disorder was caused by falls associated with his service-connected left knee disability.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not adequately address the Veteran’s lay statements or post-service VA treatment records, leading to a finding of equipoise in favor of granting service connection for the right shoulder disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- left shoulder rotator cuff tear, right shoulder rotator cuff tear
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 29, 2020
- Citation
- A20009557
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 A20009557.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
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 found that the current medical opinion is inadequate and the record is incomplete without other opinions. The Veteran's left shoulder disorder may be related to service, but a VA examination is needed to determine if it was caused by or aggravated by his service-connected right shoulder disorder.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's left shoulder disability, including rotator cuff tear with degenerative arthritis and tendonitis, finding that it is related to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for right knee strain, left shoulder rotator cuff tear, and right shoulder rotator cuff tear due to inadequate medical opinions in the November 2020 rating decision. The VA is required to obtain an addendum opinion from a clinician to determine if these conditions are related to service.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his claims for right knee meniscal tear with osteoarthritis, bilateral hearing loss, left shoulder rotator cuff tear, neck condition, osteoarthritis left shoulder, osteoarthritis right shoulder, hypertension, low back condition, irritable bowel syndrome, and migraines.
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