Service connection is granted for right shoulder osteoarthritis, left shoulder osteoarthritis, cervical spine DJD, and cervical radiculopathy of the upper extremities.,A separate claim for service connection for right elbow tendonitis is remanded.
The deciding factor: The VA medical opinions provided evidence that supports a finding of chronicity in service and a positive relationship to service-connected disabilities. The examiner opined that the Veteran's current conditions are related to exposure to environmental hazards, including prolonged walking and carrying a ruck sack during service.
- Claimed conditions
- right shoulder osteoarthritis, left shoulder osteoarthritis, cervical spine DJD, cervical radiculopathy of the left upper extremity, cervical radiculopathy of the right upper extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 5, 2024
- Citation
- 24000823
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 945 · 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 24000823.
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.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection of various conditions due to untimely filing of the appeal.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment prior to January 31, 2023.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for left shoulder osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia due to potential aggravation by her service-connected disabilities. The RO must obtain medical opinions addressing whether the Veteran's conditions were aggravated by her service-connected disabilities.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities require regular aid and attendance from another person, resulting in the grant of special monthly compensation based on aid and attendance. The issue of SMC at the housebound rate is dismissed as it is a lesser benefit than SMC based on aid and attendance.
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