The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of right shoulder rotatory cuff tear with ACL joint osteoarthritis is denied as the evidence does not show that the additional service treatment records received in April 2014 were relevant to his original claim, and he did not file a timely appeal within one year after receiving the final February 2015 SOC.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's submitted service treatment records from April 2014 were not considered relevant as they did not document any complaints or diagnoses of right shoulder disability during service. The VA denied his claim in March 2014, and he did not file a timely appeal within one year after receiving the final February 2015 SOC.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Shoulder Rotatory Cuff Tear, ACL Joint Osteoarthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- March 10, 2026
- Citation
- A26021735
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 A26021735.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
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