The Board has remanded the claim of entitlement to service connection for bilateral shoulder disabilities, including as secondary to a cervical spine and/or low back disability due to incomplete rationale in the medical opinions provided.
The deciding factor: Incomplete rationale was provided by the VA examiner regarding whether the Veteran's bilateral shoulder disabilities are related to an in-service diving accident or aggravated by his service-connected cervical spine and/or low back disabilities, including physical therapy exercises used to treat his low back condition.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral shoulder disabilities
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 6, 2019
- Citation
- A19002615
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 A19002615.
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 Board remands the claim for service connection of bilateral shoulder disabilities to correct a duty to assist error that occurred prior to the February 2025 rating decision on appeal.
- Partly granted
The veteran's claims for increased disability ratings for knee conditions were denied. The appeals for service connection for lumbar and cervical spine disabilities were dismissed due to untimely filing. The appeals for bilateral shoulder disabilities and sleep apnea were remanded.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for all claimed conditions due to lack of evidence showing a current disability or link to military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims, including for PTSD and lumbar spine disability. The Veteran's skin condition and TDIU claim are also remanded.
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