The Board denied service connection for a left shoulder disability and a cervical spine disability, finding that the evidence did not support a link to service or service-connected conditions.,Service records do not show any complaints or diagnoses related to these disabilities during active duty. The Veteran's current diagnoses are attributed to post-service events.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners concluded that there is no causal relationship between the Veteran’s current cervical spine and left shoulder conditions and her service, particularly given the lack of in-service treatment records for these conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Shoulder Osteoarthritis, Cervical Spine Spondylosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 16, 2023
- Citation
- 23045600
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 23045600.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's left shoulder disability is not a separate and distinct condition from his service-connected thoracotomy pain syndrome, thus denying a separate rating for this condition.
- Partly granted
The Board denied an initial increased rating for diabetes mellitus type II and remanded the claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, right shoulder strain with acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis and tendinitis, cervical spine spondylosis, left knee degenerative arthritis, right knee degenerative arthritis, and thoracolumbar scoliosis and lumbar spine degenerative changes.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's current left shoulder and left hand disabilities are not related to his military service, as there is no evidence of chronic symptoms during or immediately after service. The Board finds the Veteran's assertions regarding in-service injuries are not credible due to inconsistencies with contemporaneous medical records.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent, effective July 11, 2018. A TDIU is also granted.
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