The Veteran's left shoulder strain is rated at 20% since July 29, 2006. The current rating for his lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis of the spine remains at 20% from October 24, 2017.,Prior to April 21, 2023, the Veteran's claim for TDIU was denied. From April 21, 2023, the matter is moot as a 100% schedular rating has been assigned with entitlement to Special Monthly Compensation (SMC).
The deciding factor: The evidence does not show that the Veteran's left shoulder strain or lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis of the spine meet the criteria for higher ratings under VA's rating schedule.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Shoulder Strain, Lumbosacral Strain with Degenerative Arthritis of the Spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 25, 2024
- Citation
- 24003780
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 713 · Granted: 31% (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 24003780.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's right shoulder disability, low back condition, bilateral knee disabilities, and left shoulder strain have been granted service connection. The Veteran's low back condition has been increased to a 40 percent evaluation, while the bilateral knee conditions remain at their current 10 percent evaluations.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a left shoulder strain and assigned a 20% rating effective March 16, 2023. The appellant is eligible to the direct payment of attorney fees based on past-due benefits awarded in the November 2023 rating decision.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right and left shoulder strains, finding that the current ratings of 20% are appropriate based on limited motion in both shoulders.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for left shoulder strain, right knee strain, and left knee strain (claimed as sprain) due to a lack of evidence showing these conditions began during active military service or are related to an in-service injury.
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