The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical records and provide him with a new VA examination to assess his bilateral shoulder disorder and lumbar spine disability.
The deciding factor: The claims are being remanded due to the need for additional evidence and an updated examination to determine if service connection can be established and whether increased ratings should be granted.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD) of the bilateral shoulders, Lumbar Spine DJD
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 28, 2015
- Citation
- 1503952
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1503952.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
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 appeal is being remanded due to a duty to assist error. The VA needs to obtain examination reports and determine if the service-connected conditions meet the criteria for specially adapted housing and special home adaptation grant.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for higher initial ratings for service-connected DJD of the right and left shoulders are remanded due to insufficient examination findings. The claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for service-connected DJD of the bilateral shoulders from July 3, 1997 to June 30, 2015 is also remanded.
- Granted
The Veteran's DJD of the bilateral shoulders is granted service connection. The Veteran's DJD of the lumbar spine is granted a rating of 20 percent as of July 3, 2014.
- Denied
The Board found no evidence of a chronic shoulder disorder in service or continuity of symptoms thereafter, and there is no competent medical evidence linking the current DJD to service. Therefore, service connection for DJD of the bilateral shoulders was denied.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.