BVA decisions by condition
Left shoulder disability: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2018 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided a left shoulder disability issue in 1,169 decisions. It granted the left shoulder disability issue in 0.3% of them, below the 19.9% grant rate for all conditions, denied it in 10.4%, and remanded it in 86.8%. Counting only decisions on the merits (granted or denied), 3.2% were granted.
Decisions
1,169
2018–2026
Granted
0.3%
All conditions: 19.9%
Granted on the merits
3.2%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
86.8%
Denied: 10.4%
Left shoulder disability outcomes by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 101 | 1.0% | 9.9% | 85.1% |
| 2019 | 135 | 0.0% | 17.0% | 81.5% |
| 2020 | 115 | 0.9% | 7.0% | 88.7% |
| 2021 | 132 | 0.0% | 7.6% | 87.1% |
| 2022 | 127 | 0.8% | 7.1% | 88.2% |
| 2023 | 168 | 0.0% | 10.1% | 88.1% |
| 2024 | 170 | 0.6% | 10.6% | 88.8% |
| 2025 | 143 | 0.0% | 14.0% | 84.6% |
| 2026 | 78 | 0.0% | 9.0% | 89.7% |
Evidence in granted and denied left shoulder disability decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the left shoulder disability 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buddy statement | 56 | 50.0% | 2.4% | +47.6 pts |
| Treating physician opinion | 60 | 33.3% | 2.4% | +30.9 pts |
| Positive nexus opinion | 322 | 9.1% | 1.1% | +8.0 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 417 | 6.7% | 1.2% | +5.4 pts |
| Favorable VA exam | 262 | 6.9% | 2.1% | +4.8 pts |
| Lay statement | 1,030 | 4.1% | 0.0% | +4.1 pts |
| Combat service | 124 | 0.0% | 3.5% | −3.5 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 100.0% of the decisions that granted left shoulder disability.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 75.0% of grants and 14.8% 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 left shoulder disability 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unfavorable VA exam | 963 | 4.1% | 0.0% | +4.1 pts |
| Negative nexus opinion | 651 | 2.9% | 3.4% | −0.5 pts |
Recent left shoulder disability decisions
Granted
Denied
Rules that apply to left shoulder disability 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 left shoulder disability 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 left shoulder disability 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 (2018–2026) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.