The Board has determined that additional evidentiary development is necessary prior to the adjudication of the Veteran’s claim of entitlement to service connection for a left shoulder condition due to pain and limited range of motion.
The deciding factor: The presence of pain alone can be considered a disability if it reaches the level of functional impairment of earning capacity, as per Saunders v. Wilkie (2018).
- Claimed conditions
- Left Shoulder Condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 4, 2018
- Citation
- 18155441
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 18155441.
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 Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a left shoulder condition, finding that there was no evidence of an in-service injury or disease and insufficient medical evidence to establish a nexus between any current disability and service.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for traumatic brain injury, left shoulder condition, and lower back pain as there is no persuasive evidence of a current disability or in-service event that would support these claims.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's current left shoulder condition is not related to his service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection regarding his right shoulder condition, left shoulder condition, and neck condition should be remanded due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The claims will now be adjudicated with appropriate medical examinations.
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