The Board has remanded this matter to consider whether the veteran's service-connected 'scar, shell fragment mid scapula, left ns' should be rated using criteria for muscle injury in connection with the appellant's claim for accrued benefits. The appeal as to entitlement to service connection for arthritis of the left shoulder for accrued benefits purposes and service connection for the cause of the veteran's death was dismissed.
The deciding factor: The Board has remanded this matter due to the need to consider whether the veteran's service-connected 'scar, shell fragment mid scapula, left ns' should be rated using criteria for muscle injury in connection with the appellant's claim for accrued benefits.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of a shell fragment wound to the left mid-scapula, arthritis of the left shoulder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 21, 2003
- Citation
- 0332684
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0332684.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted higher levels of Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) at rates based on loss of use of both hands and need for regular aid and attendance due to service-connected disabilities.
- Granted
The appeals to reopen the claims of service connection for right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, right upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, arthritis of the back, arthritis of the joints (other than hips, right shoulder, and neck), and arthritis of the left shoulder are granted.,The appeals to reopen the claims of service connection for arthritis of the neck are denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection of arthritis of the back, bilateral hips, and bilateral shoulders due to lack of evidence showing a nexus between these conditions and his military service. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for presumptive service connection based on exposure to herbicide agents or other presumptive diseases.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings of skin cancer excision scars, bilateral hearing loss, and multiple noncompensable disabilities are dismissed. The Board also remanded the Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for service-connected hypertension, as well as his claims for arthritis of various joints.
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