The Board has determined that a VA examination is needed to determine if the Veteran's current left shoulder disability is related to service, as his previous denial was based on insufficient rationale and lack of treatment records.
The deciding factor: The Board found the previous VA examiner’s opinion lacking in sufficient rationale due to the absence of treatment records and chronicity of symptoms.
- Claimed conditions
- Left shoulder injury
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 15, 2018
- Citation
- 18102322
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 18102322.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for PTSD and right hand scar, but denied service connection for other claimed conditions including diabetes type II, erectile dysfunction, headaches, heart disease, obstructive sleep apnea, left shoulder injury, left hand injury, lower back injury, right shoulder injury, upper back injury, and a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection due to a duty-to-assist error in failing to provide a VA examination. The claims will be reconsidered with new evidence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases due to inadequate VA examinations and requests for new evaluations.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's thoracolumbar spine disorder, but denied service connection for his left and right shoulder injuries.
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