Secondary service connection
Shoulder impairment secondary to a back condition: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2017 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided shoulder impairment claimed as secondary to a back condition in 661 decisions. It granted the issue in 7.1% of them, below the 15.2% grant rate for all shoulder impairment issues, denied it in 21.8%, and remanded it in 70.8%. Counting only decisions on the merits, 24.6% were granted.
Decisions
661
2017–2026
Granted
7.1%
All shoulder impairment: 15.2%
Granted on the merits
24.6%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
70.8%
Denied: 21.8%
See all shoulder impairment decisions, direct and secondary.
Shoulder impairment secondary to a back condition: outcomes by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 44 | 4.5% | 34.1% | 59.1% |
| 2018 | 52 | 3.8% | 28.8% | 67.3% |
| 2019 | 52 | 0.0% | 17.3% | 82.7% |
| 2020 | 86 | 7.0% | 22.1% | 70.9% |
| 2021 | 79 | 1.3% | 21.5% | 77.2% |
| 2022 | 89 | 12.4% | 14.6% | 73.0% |
| 2023 | 96 | 9.4% | 21.9% | 67.7% |
| 2024 | 81 | 9.9% | 19.8% | 70.4% |
| 2025 | 71 | 9.9% | 22.5% | 67.6% |
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 | 63 | 75.0% | 16.0% | +59.0 pts |
| Favorable VA exam | 51 | 76.2% | 18.2% | +58.0 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 159 | 39.7% | 17.2% | +22.5 pts |
| Lay statement | 535 | 22.2% | 41.7% | −19.5 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 76.6% of the decisions that granted shoulder impairment.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 42.6% of grants and 13.2% 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 | 444 | 21.1% | 36.4% | −15.3 pts |
| Unfavorable VA exam | 533 | 21.6% | 45.8% | −24.3 pts |
Why the Board granted or denied shoulder impairment
Most common reasons in grants
- Caused by the service-connected disability6
- Current diagnosis established5
- Service connection established5
- Aggravated by the service-connected disability3
- Favorable finding of current left shoulder disability3
- VA opinion inadequate for failing to address lay statements, conflicting evidence, aggravation, and rationale2
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service2
Most common reasons in denials
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis37
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service25
- Service records negative or silent16
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim14
- No current diagnosis12
- Aggravated by the service-connected disability12
- Current diagnosis established6
- Continuity of symptomatology since service3
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
Aggravated by service-connected lumbar spine and lower extremity conditions; Use of a cane necessitated by service-connected conditions; Service connection granted
Current left shoulder disability diagnosed as degenerative arthritis with impingement syndrome.; Aggravated by service-connected lumbar disability due to sleeping position.; VA examiner's opinion inadequate for failing to address aggravation.
Favorable finding of current right shoulder disability.; Favorable finding of service-connected lumbosacral strain.; VA examiner opined disability was at least as likely as not related to service-connected lumbosacral strain.; Benefit of the doubt resolved in Veteran's favor.
Denied
No in-service complaints or diagnoses for left shoulder disability.; No medical opinion linking current disability to service or service-connected lumbosacral strain.; Veteran's lay statement regarding onset outweighed by lack of medical evidence.
Claim for left shoulder condition is secondary to claimed back disability.; Service connection for back disability was denied.; No primary disability exists to support secondary service connection.
No competent or probative nexus evidence; No approximate balance of evidence; Claim denied
Rules that apply to secondary shoulder impairment claims
- 38 CFR 3.310
Secondary service connection and aggravation
Read it in VA Law Explorer - M21-1 V.ii.2.D
Secondary service connection and aggravation of non-service-connected disabilities
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
- Counts decisions in which the Board decided a shoulder impairment issue claimed as secondary to a back condition, by the outcome of that issue.
- The primary disability is read from the decision text ("secondary to …") and grouped by name, so spellings such as "PTSD" and "posttraumatic stress disorder" count together.
- Secondary claims also include aggravation of a non-service-connected condition by a service-connected one (38 CFR 3.310(b)).
- 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.