The Veteran's right shoulder condition is found to be a pre-existing disability, and the Board requests an addendum opinion from the March 2016 examiner to consider the impact of the Veteran's recreational activities on his pre-existing condition.
The deciding factor: The examiner needs to provide a rationale for whether the Veteran’s pre-existing right shoulder condition was aggravated by service beyond its natural progression, considering the Veteran's reported recreational activities during deployment.
- Claimed conditions
- labral tear, SLAP (Superior labral anterior-posterior lesion)
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 24, 2019
- Citation
- 19105955
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,456 · Granted: 23% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19105955.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that the current medical opinion is inadequate and the record is incomplete without other opinions. The Veteran's left shoulder disorder may be related to service, but a VA examination is needed to determine if it was caused by or aggravated by his service-connected right shoulder disorder.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Board has dismissed all appeals related to temporary total disability ratings for shoulder disabilities and the award of TDIU with an effective date prior to March 25, 2015.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a labral tear, including SLAP, acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis, and glenohumeral joint dislocation status post right shoulder labral repair with a remplissage procedure. The decision finds that the Veteran's pre-existing right shoulder condition was aggravated by his service.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 20 percent for his right shoulder disability is being remanded due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
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