The Board denied service connection for a left shoulder disability but granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities prior to August 22, 2024.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not support the claim of direct service connection for the left shoulder disability, as there was no in-service incurrence or relationship to service. However, the Veteran's service-connected conditions prevented him from performing substantially gainful employment.
- Claimed conditions
- Left shoulder osteoarthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 10, 2025
- Citation
- A25106543
Veterans Law Judge
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 A25106543.
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 Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his bilateral knee disorders and low back disorder, prevented him from obtaining and maintaining gainful employment consistent with his education and experience. The Board found that the combined effects of these conditions made it impossible for the Veteran to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for low back pain, left shoulder osteoarthritis, right shoulder rotator cuff, right bicep tendonitis, left bicep tendonitis, obstructive sleep apnea, and Meniere's Syndrome (vertigo) to address duty-to-assist errors.
- Granted
The Veteran was granted a TDIU from June 30, 2011 to June 28, 2013 due to his service-connected disabilities preventing him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.
- Granted
The Veteran is unable to maintain substantially gainful employment due to service-connected disabilities, and the Board has granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability from June 27, 2016.
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