The Board granted presumptive service connection for sinusitis due to in-service exposure to fine particulate matter, and increased the rating for right shoulder degenerative joint disease with rotator cuff tendinopathy status post arthroscopic Mumford procedure and right ankle tendonitis.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's sinusitis is presumed to be related to his service in Southwest Asia due to exposure to fine particulate matter. The increase in severity of the right shoulder disability was factually ascertainable on December 8, 2020, while the right ankle disability warranted a higher rating from June 9, 2022.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Ankle Tendonitis, Right Shoulder Degenerative Joint Disease with Rotator Cuff Tendinopathy Status Post Arthroscopic Mumford Procedure, Right Shoulder Scars, Sinusitis
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 27, 2025
- Citation
- A25047032
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,772 · Granted: 37% (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 A25047032.
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.
- Denied
The VA denied an initial compensable disability rating for the appellant's right shoulder scars, as the evidence did not show that the area of the scars met or more nearly approximated the criteria for a higher rating under DC 7802.
- Granted
The Veteran's sinusitis is currently rated at a noncompensable evaluation. The Board has granted a 30 percent evaluation for sinusitis as of February 19, 2021, based on the number and duration of incapacitating episodes requiring antibiotic treatment.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeals for higher disability ratings in excess of 20 percent for cervical spine and lumbar spine conditions, left knee condition, right knee condition, and sinusitis. The Veteran was granted service connection for chronic laryngeal papillomatosis.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeal because the appellant requested to withdraw their appeal.
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