BVA decisions by condition
Shoulder impairment: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2017 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided a shoulder impairment issue in 33,609 decisions. It granted the shoulder impairment issue in 15.2% of them, below the 19.4% grant rate for all conditions, denied it in 31.8%, and remanded it in 53.5%. Counting only decisions on the merits (granted or denied), 32.3% were granted.
Decisions
33,609
2017–2026
Granted
15.2%
All conditions: 19.4%
Granted on the merits
32.3%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
53.5%
Denied: 31.8%
Shoulder impairment outcomes by year
| Year | Issues decided | Granted | Denied | Remanded | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 2,434 | 9.2% | 32.9% | 53.9% | 4.0% |
| 2018 | 3,964 | 10.6% | 33.6% | 52.9% | 3.0% |
| 2019 | 4,507 | 11.0% | 31.8% | 55.5% | 1.8% |
| 2020 | 4,726 | 11.6% | 36.4% | 50.6% | 1.5% |
| 2021 | 4,537 | 12.4% | 32.4% | 53.8% | 1.3% |
| 2022 | 4,425 | 14.6% | 25.4% | 58.6% | 1.4% |
| 2023 | 4,913 | 14.0% | 26.9% | 58.1% | 1.0% |
| 2024 | 5,134 | 16.8% | 29.1% | 53.2% | 0.9% |
| 2025 | 5,050 | 20.3% | 32.1% | 46.6% | 1.1% |
| 2026 | 1,995 | 24.7% | 32.0% | 42.0% | 1.3% |
Each row counts issues (each condition the Board decided), so the shares add up to 100%. Other: dismissed, withdrawn or no clear outcome. Years with fewer than 50 issues are left out.
Evidence in granted and denied shoulder impairment decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the shoulder impairment issue on the merits when the decision mentioned it, compared with decisions that did not. These are associations, not causes, and evidence is recorded per decision, not per issue.
| In the record | Decisions | Granted when present | When absent | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positive nexus opinion | 4,432 | 68.4% | 23.5% | +44.9 pts |
| Favorable VA exam | 3,265 | 56.7% | 28.1% | +28.5 pts |
| Treating physician opinion | 1,394 | 57.1% | 30.9% | +26.2 pts |
| Buddy statement | 1,297 | 55.6% | 31.3% | +24.3 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 9,092 | 44.6% | 26.2% | +18.4 pts |
| Combat service | 1,872 | 47.7% | 31.3% | +16.3 pts |
| Claimed as secondary | 4,263 | 39.7% | 31.6% | +8.1 pts |
| Lay statement | 27,904 | 32.7% | 29.8% | +2.9 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 73.0% of the decisions that granted shoulder impairment.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 49.1% of grants and 13.1% of denials.
Negative evidence in the record
An unfavorable exam or a negative nexus opinion often sits in the same record as favorable evidence, and the Board weighs them against each other. So these rows show how often shoulder impairment was still granted when the record contained the negative item, not that the item helped.
| In the record | Decisions | Granted when present | When absent | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Negative nexus opinion | 16,627 | 32.1% | 32.6% | −0.4 pts |
| Unfavorable VA exam | 24,931 | 31.1% | 37.8% | −6.7 pts |
Shoulder impairment claimed as a secondary condition
Decisions where shoulder impairment was claimed as secondary to another service-connected disability (38 CFR 3.310), by that disability.
Why the Board granted or denied shoulder impairment
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established745
- Continuity of symptomatology since service161
- Caused by the service-connected disability89
- Criteria for service connection met74
- Service connection established64
- In-service injury documented49
- Evidence evenly balanced43
- Already at the maximum schedular rating37
Most common reasons in denials
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis1,406
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim1,162
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service1,126
- Service records negative or silent812
- No current diagnosis745
- Current diagnosis established589
- No continuity of symptomatology253
- Continuity of symptomatology since service137
Numbers are decisions that gave the reason. Reasons are short phrases extracted by AI from each decision; common wordings of the same reason are grouped. Benefit of the doubt is reported above.
Recent shoulder impairment decisions
Granted
In-service injury (boxing tournament); Surgery for labral tear; Benefit of the doubt applied
Current disability established by credible testimony of pain causing impairment in earning capacity.; In-service injury established by STRs showing right trapezius muscle strain in May 1994.; Nexus established by credible and consistent lay testimony regarding pain and impairment since service, with doubt resolved in veteran's favor.
STRs show shoulder complaints during ADT in July 2019; Veteran has current bilateral shoulder strains diagnosed in March 2020; Evidence in approximate balance, favoring grant of service connection
Denied
No VA treatment records for shoulder disabilities; No functional impairment of earning capacity found; Record weighs against service connection
September 2014 rating decision became final as no NOD was filed and no new/material evidence was received.; CUE requires undebatable error that manifestly changed the outcome, not a disagreement on evidence weighing.; Prior VA policy assigned a 10 percent rating for painful motion irrespective of the diagnostic code.; Subsequent judicial decisions (Sowers v. McDonald) changed interpretation but cannot form basis for CUE in final decisions.
STRs silent for shoulder conditions; Veteran denied upper extremity issues in service; Post-service complaint in 2021; VA exam found no diagnosis for left shoulder; Examiner opined less likely than not related to service
Rules that apply to shoulder impairment claims
- 38 CFR 3.303
Principles of service connection
Read it in VA Law Explorer - 38 CFR 3.310
Secondary service connection and aggravation
Read it in VA Law Explorer - 38 CFR 3.102
Reasonable doubt (benefit of the doubt)
Read it in VA Law Explorer
Research your shoulder impairment case
Narrow by year, judge, evidence or secondary condition, read the decisions, and export a research memo.
How these numbers are calculated
- Rates count decisions in which the Board decided a shoulder impairment issue, by the outcome of that issue. Other issues in the same decision can have different outcomes.
- “Granted on the merits” leaves out remands and dismissals. “All conditions” is the grant share across every condition issue in the data.
- The data comes from CaseScribe's AI extraction of public BVA decisions (2017–2026) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.