The Board denied service connection for a bilateral shoulder disorder, RIGHT elbow disorder, and LEFT elbow disorder. Service connection was granted for left lower extremity radiculopathy / sciatica as secondary to a service-connected low back disorder. Temporary total ratings under 38 C.F.R. § 4.29 were denied due to lack of VA hospitalizations.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's current bilateral shoulder, RIGHT elbow, and LEFT elbow conditions are not causally or etiologically related to his active military service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral shoulder arthritis, right elbow tendinitis, left lower extremity radiculopathy / sciatica
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 29, 2020
- Citation
- 20081419
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,156 · Granted: 29% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 20081419.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions including bilateral shoulder arthritis, bilateral hearing loss, neck pain, arthritis of the low back, and right hand arthritis due to inconsistencies in his statements regarding the onset and chronicity of symptoms.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including an acquired psychiatric disorder and hearing loss. The evidence does not support a finding that any of these conditions were incurred or aggravated during military service.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has found that the Veteran experienced arthritis of the bilateral shoulders, hips, lumbar spine, and left knee since active duty service. Service connection is granted for these conditions.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for higher initial evaluations for right elbow and right knee disabilities due to inadequate VA examinations from August 2019. The AOJ is now directed to schedule new VA examinations.
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