The Board has determined that a higher evaluation of 20 percent is warranted for the veteran's service-connected left shoulder acromioclavicular joint separation. The issue of entitlement to service connection for degenerative joint disease of the lumbosacral spine is being remanded due to incomplete information and need for further examination.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not provide an opinion regarding the etiology of the veteran's current back disability, which may be related to his inservice treatment. The service dates must also be verified.
- Claimed conditions
- left shoulder acromioclavicular joint separation, degenerative joint disease of the lumbosacral spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 27, 2004
- Citation
- 0410999
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,500 · Granted: 17% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0410999.
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 Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's degenerative joint disease of the lumbosacral spine, finding that it is at least as likely as not related to military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for increased ratings for left shoulder disabilities due to inadequate VA examinations. The appellant's claims are pending and will be reconsidered with new evidence.
- Granted
The Board granted a 40 percent disability rating for the Veteran's low back disorder, effective March 31, 2019.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a lumbosacral strain, left and right shoulder acromioclavicular joint separations, and migraine headaches. Atrial fibrillation and a left foot condition were denied.
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