The Veteran's initial rating for the left shoulder disability was denied, and a higher initial rating of 20 percent was granted from March 10, 2015 to November 1, 2018. The Veteran's thoracic spine disability received an initial 10 percent rating, which remains unchanged.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher initial rating in excess of 10 percent for either condition during the relevant periods.
- Claimed conditions
- left shoulder supraspinatus and infraspinatus tendon tear and impingement, degenerative joint disease of the thoracic spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- October 8, 2021
- Citation
- 21062641
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,200 · Granted: 43% (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 21062641.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for a lumbar spine disability, finding that there was no in-service disease or injury and that the current condition did not manifest within one year of separation from active duty. The Board also found insufficient evidence to support a presumption of service connection.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed all issues on appeal due to the Veteran's withdrawal of his appeals.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining updated treatment records and attempting to obtain SSA records.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for SMC at the R-1 or R-2 level is remanded due to outstanding VA and non-VA treatment records. The AOJ should obtain these records and conduct further development as needed.
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