The Veteran's petition to reopen his claim for a right shoulder disorder was granted. The claims for increased ratings of the left hand, left knee, and right knee were remanded due to insufficient evidence or need for further evaluation. A TDIU claim is also pending.
The deciding factor: The decision on reopening the service connection claim for a right shoulder disorder was based on new diagnoses provided by a VA examination in January 2014 that indicated degenerative joint disease and longstanding adhesive capsulitis of the right shoulder, which were not present at the time of the last final denial.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Shoulder Disorder, Degenerative Joint Disease and Chondromalacia Syndrome of Left Shoulder (Rotator Cuff Injury), Degenerative Arthritis and Chondromalacia Syndrome of Right Knee, Degenerative Arthritis and Chondromalacia Syndrome of Left Knee
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19101707
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 restoration of a 30 percent rating for irritable bowel syndrome and service connection for a right shoulder disorder, while denying service connection for right sided carpal tunnel syndrome and left sided carpal tunnel syndrome.
- Partly granted
The Board denied entitlement to a rating in excess of 30 percent for irritable bowel syndrome and a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss, granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to PTSD and unspecified depressive disorder, and denied service connection for various other disorders.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for diverticulitis and a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, while remanding claims for service connection for various other disorders and a TDIU.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's PTSD has been granted a 70 percent disability rating, and the effective date for service connection remains June 29, 2017. Other claims for service connection have been denied.
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