Pain can be a minimum rating and overrule a 0% rating in some conditions
From one of my ratings:
We have assigned a 20 percent evaluation for your right shoulder (dominant), rotator cuff, tendonitis, acromioclavicular (AC) joint, strain, superior labral anterior-posterior (SLAP) tear, status-post arthroscopy based on:
•Limited motion of the arm at shoulder level
•Painful motion of the shoulder. (38 CFR §4.59 allows consideration of functional loss due to painful motion to be rated to at least the minimum compensable rating for a particular joint. Since you demonstrate painful motion of the arm at the shoulder, the minimum compensable of 20 percent is assigned)
