The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected right shoulder disability and determine if there are any flare-ups that significantly limit functional ability.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the previous VA examination did not provide sufficient information regarding the Veteran's range of motion during periods of flare-up and whether such limitations were at least as likely as not to be limited to midway between the side and shoulder level, or even less than that. The examiner was also unable to determine if there are any functional loss due to pain, weakness, fatigability, or incoordination.
- Claimed conditions
- right shoulder degenerative joint disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 29, 2016
- Citation
- 1638935
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 1638935.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's depression was rated at 50 percent prior to July 1, 2016. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating due to occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity. For TDIU, the Veteran had multiple service-connected disabilities but his education and work experience were sufficient for sedentary or light labor employment.
- Dismissed
The appeal to sever service connection for right shoulder degenerative joint disease is dismissed.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are severe enough to require the aid and attendance of another, effective April 3, 2020. The appeal for SMC based on housebound status is dismissed as moot due to the award of SMC under section 1114(l).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's right shoulder disability may have pre-existed service and is requesting further medical opinion to determine if it was aggravated by service. The claim will be remanded for this purpose.
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