The Board denied earlier effective dates for the Veteran's claims, finding that an intervening claim consumed his September 2021 intent to file a claim.
The deciding factor: An earlier effective date is not supported by the evidence of record as the Veteran's September 2021 ITF was consumed by an October 2021 supplemental claim filing.
- Claimed conditions
- left shoulder rotator cuff tendonitis and labral tear, right shoulder rotator cuff tendonitis and labral tear, right elbow olecranon bursitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 21, 2025
- Citation
- A25036174
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,316 · Granted: 43% (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 A25036174.
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.
- Granted
The Board granted ratings of 30 percent or higher for the Veteran's cervical spine degenerative arthritis, lumbar spine osteoarthritis with intervertebral disc syndrome, right shoulder strain, left elbow olecranon bursitis, right elbow olecranon bursitis, and headaches. Service connection was also granted for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) under the PACT Act.
- Remanded (sent back)
The appeal for a higher rating of right elbow olecranon bursitis was remanded. The Board needs more information about the severity during flare-ups.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome, neck disability, coccydynia, erectile dysfunction, left hip osteoarthritis, right hip osteoarthritis, left knee degenerative arthritis with arthroscopy and medial meniscectomy, left shoulder acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis, right shoulder overuse syndrome, right elbow olecranon bursitis, and right elbow tendonitis. Service connection was granted for left shoulder acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for arthritis, including heel and elbow arthritis, back strain, right elbow arthritis/tendonitis, right elbow olecranon bursitis, left heel pain, and left foot plantar fasciitis has been readjudicated. The evidence received since the October 2013 rating decision is new and relevant to the claim of service connection for arthritis.
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