The Veteran's initial 20 percent rating for left shoulder rotator cuff tendinopathy and lumbar spine herniated nuclear pulposus with degenerative disc disease and degenerative changes is granted, effective from April 5, 2011 to September 14, 2012. A higher rating is denied.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's left shoulder disability was rated under DC 5201 based on limitation of motion, with flexion limited to 120 degrees and abduction ending at 180 degrees. The effective date for the initial 20 percent rating is set from April 5, 2011 to September 14, 2012.
- Claimed conditions
- left shoulder rotator cuff tendinopathy, lumbar spine herniated nuclear pulposus with degenerative disc disease and degenerative changes (low back disability)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- January 11, 2024
- Citation
- 24001935
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,604 · Granted: 65% (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 24001935.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for hypertension, finding it manifested to a compensable degree within one year of the Veteran's separation from service. The other claims were remanded for further development.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for left and right hand arthritis, as there is no current diagnosis of arthritis in the Veteran's hands. The claims for service connection for left carpal tunnel syndrome, right carpal tunnel syndrome, left hip arthritis, and left shoulder rotator cuff tendinopathy are remanded for further development.
- Granted
The Veteran's combined disability rating was properly calculated using the Combined Ratings Table, resulting in a 70 percent rating. The left shoulder rotator cuff tendinopathy grant did not change the overall 70 percent rating.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for increased ratings of his left and right shoulder disabilities, finding that no increase in disability occurred prior to February 21, 2017.
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