The Veteran's right shoulder disability is now rated at 40 percent, effective April 1, 2021. His neck disability remains at a 30 percent rating since April 1, 2021.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations and the Veteran's testimony supported that his disabilities had worsened to meet or exceed the criteria for higher ratings.
- Claimed conditions
- Right rotator cuff tendonitis (right shoulder disability), Cervical strain (neck disability)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- February 15, 2023
- Citation
- 23009645
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 23009645.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for service connection for degenerative arthritis of spine and cervical strain due to insufficient medical opinion regarding direct, secondary, or aggravation causation.
- Denied
The Board denied initial ratings in excess of 30 percent for generalized anxiety disorder, and in excess of 20 percent for a lumbosacral strain (back disability) and cervical strain (neck disability), as well as separate ratings for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy. A rating of 30 percent was granted for the neck disability starting from May 22, 2022.
- Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for TMJ dysfunction with arthritis, cervical strain (neck disability), lumbar intervertebral disc syndrome with arthritis, right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome, tension headaches, and left thigh impairment. However, a 20 percent rating was granted for left lower radiculopathy involving the sciatic nerve.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for acute left ankle sprain, finding that there was no evidence of an in-service injury or a causal relationship between the current disability and any in-service event. The claims for cervical strain and left shoulder strain were remanded for further development.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.