The Veteran's left shoulder strain with partial rotator cuff tear is currently rated at 20 percent, but the Board has remanded for further development to determine if a higher rating is warranted.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence does not show that the Veteran's left shoulder disability more nearly approximates a higher rating under any relevant diagnostic codes due to limited motion or other functional loss.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Shoulder Strain, Partial Rotator Cuff Tear
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- January 29, 2024
- Citation
- 24004324
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,429 · Granted: 29% (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 24004324.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
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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