The Board granted service connection for somatic symptom disorder, which is claimed as depression, and denied a rating in excess of 30 percent for right shoulder glenohumeral joint and acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis.
The deciding factor: The private medical opinion provided more weight to the claim that the Veteran's somatic symptom disorder was due to his service-connected disabilities, while the VA examination did not find a direct link. The Board found the evidence in equipoise and granted service connection for somatic symptom disorder under 38 C.F.R. § 3.310(a).
- Claimed conditions
- right shoulder glenohumeral joint and acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis, somatic symptom disorder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- March 25, 2025
- Citation
- A25027863
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,451 · Granted: 22% (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 A25027863.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for left foot plantar fasciitis and remanded the claims of anxiety disorder, persistent depressive disorder, and somatic symptom disorder.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for somatic symptom disorder and migraines, both found to be secondary to the Veteran's service-connected tinnitus.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeal for service connection of somatic symptom disorder. The effective date for the grant of service connection for sleep apnea (OSA) was set at February 4, 2020, and a rating in excess of 50 percent for OSA is denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (including insomnia disorder, anxiety, and somatic symptom disorder) and bruxism. The evidence did not support a finding of direct or secondary service connection.
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