Citation Nr: 18158488
Decision Date: 12/18/18	Archive Date: 12/17/18

DOCKET NO. 16-27 250
DATE:	December 18, 2018
ORDER
Entitlement to service connection for left shoulder impingement with underlying glenohumeral osteoarthritis is granted.
FINDING OF FACT
The Veteran’s left shoulder impingement with underlying glenohumeral osteoarthritis was incurred in service.
CONCLUSION OF LAW
The criteria for service connection for left shoulder impingement with underlying glenohumeral osteoarthritis have been met.  38 U.S.C. §§ 1110, 5107; 38 C.F.R. §§ 3.102, 3.303, 3.307, 3.309.
REASONS AND BASES FOR FINDING AND CONCLUSION
The Veteran is seeking service connection for a left shoulder disorder.  Service connection may be granted for a disability resulting from a disease or injury incurred in or aggravated by active service. 38 U.S.C. § 1110; 38 C.F.R. § 3.303 (a).  To establish entitlement to service-connected compensation benefits, a veteran must show: “(1) the existence of a present disability; (2) in-service incurrence or aggravation of a disease or injury; and (3) a causal relationship between the present disability and the disease or injury incurred or aggravated during service.  Holton v. Shinseki, 557 F.3d 1362, 1366 (Fed. Cir. 2010).
For veterans with 90 days or more of active service during a war period or after December 31, 1946, certain chronic diseases, including arthritis, are presumed to have been incurred in service if they manifested to a compensable degree within one year of separation from service.  38 U.S.C. §§ 1112, 1113; 38 C.F.R. §§ 3.307, 3.309.
The Veteran contends that he injured his left shoulder while serving in Iraq but did not seek medical attention because his unit was short-staffed and he was needed to support his unit.  See June 2014 correspondence.  The Veteran’s DD-214 shows that he served from May 1999 to May 2002 and from January 2003 to April 2007.  He served as a unit supply specialist and had service in Iraq from November 2005 to November 2006.  Following separation from service, an October 2008 VA treatment record shows that he complained of left shoulder pain and reported that he injured it during service but never reported it.  An October 2017 VA treatment record shows an orthopedic clinic visit where the Veteran complained of left shoulder pain.  Following examination and X-rays, a VA orthopedist diagnosed the Veteran with left shoulder impingement with underlying glenohumeral osteoarthritis.  The doctor observed that such arthritis was not typical for someone of his age but that it was consistent with the Veteran’s history of having fallen off a Humvee while in service, noting that one would typically expect a significant injury to have occurred for arthritis in such a patient to be present.
The Board finds that the Veteran’s left shoulder impingement with underlying glenohumeral osteoarthritis was incurred in service.  The October 2017 opinion was offered by a medical doctor with adequate medical training and experience to opine as to the etiology of a medical condition.  Although it does not appear that he reviewed the claims file, he was informed of the relevant evidence, namely, of the Veteran’s credible report that he injured his left shoulder during service.  The doctor also supported his conclusion by relying on medically-established principles and evidence to infer that an injury likely would have had to occur for there to be arthritis in an individual of the Veteran’s age.  As such, the Board finds that the opinion is entitled to significant probative value and, significantly, there is no contrary opinion.  That the Veteran sought treatment for left shoulder pain relatively soon after leaving service further supports his claim.  Accordingly, the Board finds that the preponderance of the evidence supports the claim.  The appeal is granted.
 
GAYLE STROMMEN
Veterans Law Judge
Board of Veterans’ Appeals
ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD	Matthew Schlickenmaier, Counsel