The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and private medical records from SGHS. The Veteran's claim will be readjudicated after this development.
The deciding factor: The Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC) found that the Board erred in relying on a VA examiner's opinion based solely on the absence of treatment records between 1996 and 2014, without considering the Veteran's lay assertions of continuity of symptomatology. The CAVC also noted that the Veteran reported ongoing treatment from a private physician since his discharge from active duty until 2011.
- Claimed conditions
- rotator cuff tendonitis, impingement syndrome, subacromial bursitis, osteoarthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 19, 2018
- Citation
- 1817022
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 1817022.
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 appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining clarification from the August 2017 VA examiner regarding which symptoms are related to his service-connected left trapezius strain and whether any non-service-connected conditions represent a progression of that disability.
- Granted
The Board has granted an increase in PCAFC benefits to Level 2, finding that the Veteran requires continuous supervision or protection due to his cognitive decline and repeated falls.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right knee disability, finding that it is neither secondary to his service-connected right femoral neuropathy nor directly related to his active-duty service.
- Granted
The Veteran's lumbar spine condition, diagnosed as osteoarthritis and degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, has been granted service connection since it began in service following his fall in 1972.
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