The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for his back, left arm, left shoulder, and left elbow disabilities as there is no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his service-connected right shoulder disability.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners provided adequate rationales concluding that the Veteran's current disabilities were not caused or aggravated by his service-connected right shoulder disability.
- Claimed conditions
- spondylosis, degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine (back disability), left arm strain and synovitis (left arm disability), left rotator cuff syndrome (left shoulder disability), left elbow arthropathy and epicondylitis (left elbow disability)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 18, 2024
- Citation
- 24016740
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 24016740.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of evidence regarding the etiology of the Veteran's cervical spine disorder and an incomplete record of chiropractic care. The Veteran is requested to provide or authorize VA to obtain his treatment records from chiropractors, and an addendum opinion will be provided by a VA examiner.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for intervertebral disc syndrome and left lower extremity radiculopathy were denied as his conditions did not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 20 percent.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's lumbar spine discogenic disease status post surgery, spondylosis, and facet arthropathy as secondary to his service-connected right ankle disability. The SMC claim is remanded due to a duty-to-assist error.
- Granted
Service connection for MDS is granted, and a higher initial disability rating of 40 percent for the service-connected back disability is also granted. Other issues on appeal are resolved in favor of the appellant.
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