The Board denied service connection for PTSD, sleep apnea, and a right shoulder disability due to lack of credible supporting evidence for the claimed stressors in service. Service connection was also denied for hypertension and erectile dysfunction as they were not related to service.
The deciding factor: There is no credible supporting evidence that the Veteran's claimed stressors occurred during service, which is required for service connection for PTSD. The Board found that sleep apnea did not begin during or within one year of separation from service, nor was it otherwise related to service. For the right shoulder disability, there was a history of injury in service but no current evidence linking the condition to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis, Right rotator cuff tendonitis, Labral tear, including SLAP (Superior labral anterior-posterior lesion) bilaterally with repair in 2015
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 21, 2020
- Citation
- 20068085
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,480 · Granted: 26% (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 20068085.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's disability ratings for neck and right shoulder conditions were reduced, but the Board found these reductions improper due to lack of proper procedural steps.
- Granted
The Veteran is entitled to a total disability rating for individual unemployability (TDIU) from June 2, 2010, to March 13, 2014.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral shoulder impingement with acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis, finding that there is no evidence of a current disability related to an in-service injury or event.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to reopen the Veteran's claim for service connection of a right shoulder condition. The case is now remanded for further development and medical opinions.
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