The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection of a right shoulder disability and remanded it due to insufficient evidence. The claims for hypertension, low back strain with spondylolysis, osteopenia, arthritis, and DDD, and cervical spine degenerative arthritis are also remanded as further development is needed.
The deciding factor: The Board found that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim of service connection for a right shoulder disability. However, the Veteran's STRs do not provide sufficient information regarding his current right shoulder condition or its relationship to service. Therefore, an opinion is required to determine if there is a causal link between the Veteran’s current right shoulder disability and his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Shoulder Impingement, Osteoarthritis
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 1, 2019
- Citation
- 19107494
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,812 · Granted: 30% (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 19107494.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's right knee strain with osteoarthritis is currently rated at 10 percent, and the Board has determined that a higher rating is not warranted based on current evidence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left shoulder disorders due to in-service participation on a boxing team. The VA will need to obtain additional medical records, including private physical therapy records, and schedule an examination to determine if these conditions are related to service.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him so helpless as to be in need of regular aid and attendance, which was granted for special monthly compensation based on aid and attendance.
- Granted
The Veteran's right knee disability, including post-total knee arthroplasty, is rated at 30% effective December 1, 2018. The TDIU claim was granted from January 1, 2018.
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