The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected shell fragment wounds to the right hip and chest are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including an examination.
The deciding factor: Additional evidence is needed to determine if there are retained shrapnel fragments causing current symptoms and impairment.
- Claimed conditions
- shell fragment wound of the right anterior and posterior chest, shell fragment wound of the right hip
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 17, 2019
- Citation
- 19104195
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 882 · Granted: 17% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19104195.
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 seeks an increased evaluation for his service-connected residuals of a shell fragment wound of the right hip, currently rated at 20 percent. The case is being remanded to the RO for additional development and examination.
- Dismissed
The veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death, and the Board had no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this claim.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of a shell fragment wound of the right hip, PTSD, rotoscoliosis with lumbosacral strain, degenerative disc disease and spondylosis of the lumbar spine, and hypertension. The appeals were based on direct evidence rather than any presumption or secondary service connection.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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