The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of his left shoulder rotator cuff tear is granted, with the effective date set at January 17, 2020.
The deciding factor: The claim was continuously pursued by the Veteran through appropriate administrative review options and received within one year after the initial denial in May 2015. The evidence of record established entitlement to service connection for the left shoulder condition prior to the date of receipt of the supplemental claim on January 17, 2020.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Shoulder Rotator Cuff Tear
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- April 16, 2026
- Citation
- A26035698
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 A26035698.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that there are duty to assist errors and the case is remanded for further development, including obtaining STRs from the Veteran's Reserve units and medical records from his private providers.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that there was a duty to assist error and remanded the claims for further development. The Veteran's service connection claims for right and left shoulder rotator cuff tears are being returned to the AOJ for additional consideration.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's PTSD symptoms were found to have approximated total occupational and social impairment from June 15, 2020. The Board granted an earlier effective date of June 15, 2020 for a one hundred percent rating of PTSD. The claim of service connection for left shoulder disability is remanded due to the need for additional evidence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further review of his claims, including the extension of a temporary total disability evaluation and a rating in excess of 20 percent for left shoulder rotator cuff tear.
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