The veteran's claims for increased initial evaluations for low back strain and right shoulder strain are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examination.
The deciding factor: Additional evidence is required as the current evaluation does not reflect the current state of the disabilities, particularly with respect to functional impairment due to pain.
- Claimed conditions
- Low back strain, Right shoulder strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 16, 2005
- Citation
- 0504159
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,374 · Granted: 19% (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 0504159.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's hearing loss and low back strain claims are remanded for further evaluation. The hearing loss claim is denied, while the low back strain claim requires additional examination to determine its severity.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for low back strain, left shoulder, and supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) based on evidence showing a causal relationship to in-service events or injuries.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based upon individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities (TDIU) as there is no evidence that he is unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected conditions.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected conditions leave her in need of regular aid and attendance, which is granted for special monthly compensation (SMC) based on the need for regular aid and attendance.
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