The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and a compensable rating for his service-connected conditions, finding that the evidence did not support higher ratings.
The deciding factor: The evidence of record did not show enough functional limitation or severity to warrant higher ratings under applicable criteria.
- Claimed conditions
- left shoulder impairment status post arthroscopy, right shoulder strain (dominant), left shoulder scars, thoracolumbar spine strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 30, 2025
- Citation
- A25039455
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 831 · Granted: 48% (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 A25039455.
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 has granted the Appellant's request to have his military service characterized as honorable, and has also granted service connection for various conditions including unspecified trauma and stressor related disorder with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, right ear hearing loss, tinnitus, scars of the left second finger and thumb, thoracolumbar spine strain, bilateral knee strains, and a right foot disorder.
- Dismissed
The appeal of the deferred claim for entitlement to service connection for sinusitis is dismissed. The claims for right hip greater trochanteric, left shoulder impingement syndrome, and thoracolumbar spine strain are remanded.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for left shoulder scars was granted with an effective date of April 16, 2024. The Board found that the earlier effective date is not warranted as the Veteran did not have a scar disability until his TDIU claim in April 2024.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded several issues for further review, including service connection claims and rating determinations. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim is denied as there is no evidence of current bilateral hearing disability meeting VA criteria. His left shoulder scars and left flank scar ratings remain noncompensable due to lack of compensating factors such as pain or instability. Hyperuricemia is not rated higher than noncompensable under the applicable diagnostic codes, and hypertension remains noncompensable.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.