The Board has remanded the case to arrange for a VA examination to determine the severity of the post-operative left shoulder scar and any other residuals from the in-service surgery. The veteran's arthritis is unclear, and the examiner should provide an opinion on whether it is attributable to the original in-service surgery.
The deciding factor: The Board found that additional development was needed due to uncertainty regarding the etiology of the veteran's arthritis and the relationship between his service-connected residuals and any other left shoulder impairment.
- Claimed conditions
- post-operative left shoulder scar, left shoulder arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 18, 2006
- Citation
- 0639434
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,177 · Granted: 24% (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 0639434.
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 obstructive sleep apnea and dismissed all other appeals related to various joint conditions.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for special monthly compensation based on need for aid and attendance or housebound status.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal concerning service connection for left shoulder arthritis, rotator cuff tear (non-dominant), and bilateral hearing loss has been dismissed due to the Veteran's death.
- Denied
The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and chronic sinusitis are not service-connected as there is no evidence of current disabilities.,The Veteran does not have a diagnosed condition of left hand arthritis, right hand arthritis, or shoulder arthritis.
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