The Board cannot make a fully-informed decision on this issue because the March 2014 VA examiner provided conflicting opinions regarding the right shoulder disability. The Veteran's testimony and his VA treating doctor’s statement are also considered, but no relevant opinion is found in the claims file.
The deciding factor: The Board needs to obtain additional medical evidence and an addendum opinion from a clinician to clarify whether the right shoulder disability is related to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Shoulder Disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 3, 2019
- Citation
- 19124887
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 a 70% rating for PTSD from November 25, 2015 to August 12, 2024 and a 40% rating for the right shoulder disability. It also granted 10% ratings for both feet and 20% ratings for knee patellofemoral pain syndromes.
- Remanded (sent back)
The character of the appellant's uncharacterized discharge is not a bar to the receipt of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits; to this extent only, the claim is granted.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including PTSD, IBS, cardiac arrhythmia, CFS, chronic headaches, chronic sinusitis, dyspnea, and fibromyalgia. The claim for bilateral pes planus was remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for further development and to ensure compliance with VA's duty to assist.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.