The Veteran's right shoulder strain was granted a rating of 20 percent from March 19, 2008 to August 20, 2013. The left shoulder strain and thoracolumbar strain were both granted ratings of 20 percent from May 7, 2008 to August 20, 2013. Hypertension was denied. Service connection for a bone disorder and sleep apnea were also denied.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's right shoulder strain met the criteria for a 20 percent rating based on painful motion and reduced range of motion from March 19, 2008 to August 20, 2013. The left shoulder strain and thoracolumbar strain both met the criteria for a 20 percent rating based on limitations in range of motion.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Shoulder Strain, Left Shoulder Strain, Thoracolumbar Strain, DJD (Degenerative Joint Disease) of the Fingers (right hand), DJD of the Fingers (left hand), Hypertension
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- December 22, 2020
- Citation
- 20080446
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,199 · Granted: 25% (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 20080446.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for hypertension, finding that it did not manifest during service and is not causally related to the Veteran's exposure to herbicides or service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current condition and active duty service or herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for hypertension and has remanded the issue of an increased rating for skin condition.
- Granted
The Board has restored the Veteran's 10% rating for hypertension effective December 1, 2025 and denied a rating in excess of 10%. The reduction from 10% to noncompensable was not proper.
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