The Veteran's increased functional impairment of the left shoulder due to pain and impingement syndrome was not caused by VA carelessness, negligence, or similar fault. The progression of his pre-existing degenerative arthritis is considered reasonably foreseeable.
The deciding factor: The additional disability found after the April 2015 examination was a result of natural progression of the underlying degenerative arthritis, which is beyond the control of the provider.
- Claimed conditions
- left shoulder degenerative arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 1, 2022
- Citation
- 22061320
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 22061320.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining clarification from the August 2017 VA examiner regarding which symptoms are related to his service-connected left trapezius strain and whether any non-service-connected conditions represent a progression of that disability.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for bilateral shoulder degenerative arthritis, finding that the Veteran's current condition is proximately due to his military activities.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for degenerative arthritis of the spine, but denied service connection for left shoulder and right shoulder degenerative arthritis.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's left shoulder disability, including rotator cuff tear with degenerative arthritis and tendonitis, finding that it is related to his military service.
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