The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings for his thoracolumbar spine, left knee meniscus tear, and left knee instability disabilities due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service or showing they are disabling enough to warrant higher ratings. The Veteran was also denied a TDIU as he did not meet the criteria for such an award.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was insufficient competent medical evidence to establish a relationship between any current disabilities and service, and that the Veteran's symptoms were not severe enough to warrant higher disability ratings under VA rating criteria.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Shoulder Disability, Thoracolumbar Spine Disability, Left Knee Meniscus Tear Residuals, Left Knee Instability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 10, 2020
- Citation
- 20039674
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 20039674.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected knee disabilities have been rated and denied for increased ratings, with some conditions receiving specific disability ratings. The Veteran is granted a 60% rating for her total right knee replacement from September 4, 2015 onwards, but the other claims are denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The claims for service connection for right and left shoulder disabilities are remanded. The claim for sleep disorder (claimed as sleep apnea) remains denied.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an effective date before April 1, 2018 for a 20% rating for left shoulder disability was denied. The appeal also resulted in the assignment of a 20% rating from April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2018, and a TDIU granted from April 1, 2018 to September 3, 2025.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left shoulder disabilities, finding insufficient evidence to establish an in-service event or injury related to his shoulders. The Veteran's current shoulder conditions are not linked to his military service.
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