The Board is remanding the case to clarify whether records of a focused review conducted by VA Greater LA Healthcare System exist and will not be released or have been destroyed, as per prior directives.
The deciding factor: The previous decision did not comply with the April 2017 Board remand directive regarding the existence and release status of Focused Review records.
- Claimed conditions
- left shoulder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 5, 2019
- Citation
- 19108542
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,480 · Granted: 26% (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 19108542.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted an effective date of December 10, 2015 for total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) and basic eligibility to Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA). The decision also grants earlier effective dates for these benefits.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection for rhinitis, dizziness, leg muscle pain, asthma, cervical strain as secondary to a low back condition, and left shoulder due to the appellant's withdrawal of these appeals.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for higher disability ratings and service connection were withdrawn, and the appeal concerning a deferred evaluation for left ear hearing loss was dismissed due to a claims-processing error.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's neck, back, shoulder, hip, and knee disabilities, finding that these conditions are related to his active military service.
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