The Board has reopened the veteran's claims for service connection for arthritis of the back and degenerative arthritis of the left shoulder, but further development is needed before a final decision can be made.
The deciding factor: New evidence received since the last denial supports reopening the claim for service connection for these conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- arthritis of the back, degenerative arthritis of the left shoulder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 31, 2003
- Citation
- 0336725
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 0336725.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, left shoulder, and bilateral plantar fasciitis. The appeal was also granted to reopen a claim for service connection for bilateral hip disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for further development and to ensure proper due process, including adequate requests for service and medical records, and adequate medical examinations based upon an accurate record.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various claimed disabilities, including right and left knee replacements, ankle sprains, neck strain, lumbosacral strain, rotator cuff tear, shoulder dislocation, and sleep apnea, as the evidence did not support a finding of a nexus between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for chronic headaches, cervicothoracic pain, residual left foot pain, restless leg syndrome, and degenerative arthritis of the left shoulder. The claim for bilateral hearing loss and a compensable disability rating for cardiac arrhythmia was denied.
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