The Board has determined that the Veteran's current right shoulder impingement syndrome is not related to his service, and the claim for lumbar disability was denied as final. The Veteran's new and material evidence claim for lumbar disability is granted, but the issue of whether it is related to service or aggravated by flat feet remains pending. The Board has also noted that a VA examination should be conducted to determine if the Veteran has any current sleep disorder and its relationship to his lumbar disability.
The deciding factor: The evidence received since the last decision does not establish new facts necessary to reopen the claim for service connection of lumbar disability, but it raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim. The right shoulder condition is found unrelated to service. A VA examination is needed to determine if the Veteran has any current sleep disorder and its relationship to his lumbar disability.
- Claimed conditions
- right shoulder impingement syndrome, chronic lumbar sprain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 9, 2011
- Citation
- 1117679
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 1117679.
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 claims for service connection are being remanded due to a duty to assist error. The VA will obtain new opinions from different VA examiners to address whether the Veteran's conditions were incurred or aggravated by his military service, including exposure during combat.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment prior to January 31, 2023.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right shoulder disorder, finding no evidence linking his current condition to military service or any service-connected disability.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the appeal of the issue regarding radiculopathy of left lower extremity. The Veteran's degenerative disc disease with spondylolisthesis, right shoulder impingement syndrome, and radiculopathy of the right lower extremity are all granted as secondary to service-connected conditions.
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