The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claims for service connection for left ankle disability, cervical spine disability, right shoulder disability, and left shoulder disability. The claim for acquired psychiatric disorder is also remanded.,The Veteran's cervical spine disability was denied in an August 2014 rating decision due to lack of new and material evidence. A remand is necessary as the Board needs to determine if there is a nexus between the service-connected disabilities and the cervical spine disability.,The right shoulder and left shoulder disabilities are also remanded, with the same reasoning as for the cervical spine disability.,The acquired psychiatric disorder claim is also remanded due to lack of new and material evidence. A remand is necessary to determine if there is a nexus between the service-connected disabilities and the psychiatric disorder.,A rating in excess of 20 percent for thoracic strain is also remanded.
The deciding factor: The Board needs to determine whether the Veteran's left ankle disability, cervical spine disability, right shoulder disability, and left shoulder disability are secondary to his service-connected disabilities. The acquired psychiatric disorder claim requires a determination on the nexus between the service-connected disabilities and the psychiatric disorder.,A remand is necessary as there is insufficient medical evidence regarding the etiology of the Veteran's cervical spine disability. The Board needs to determine if the Veteran's current condition can be attributed to his service-connected disabilities or other factors.,The right shoulder and left shoulder disabilities are also remanded due to lack of new and material evidence, requiring a determination on whether they are secondary to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.,A remand is necessary as there is insufficient medical evidence regarding the etiology of the acquired psychiatric disorder. The Board needs to determine if the Veteran's current condition can be attributed to his service-connected disabilities or other factors.,The rating for thoracic strain must be reconsidered due to lack of new and material evidence, requiring a determination on whether the Veteran's current condition is more severe than what was previously considered.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Knee Disability, Left Ankle Disability, Cervical Spine Disability, Right Shoulder Disability, Left Shoulder Disability, Acquired Psychiatric Disorder
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 14, 2019
- Citation
- 19146635
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,913 · 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 19146635.
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.
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The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities are not related to his active service, and thus denied both claims for service connection.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a right knee disability, finding that there is no evidence to support an etiological relationship between his current condition and his military service.
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