The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for right shoulder, cervical spine, lumbar spine, and bilateral hearing loss disabilities due to potential service connection issues. The Veteran will need to undergo VA examinations to determine if his current conditions are related to service or preexisting conditions.
The deciding factor: The decision is based on the need for further medical evaluation to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed disabilities, particularly regarding their onset during service or preexistence prior to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Calcified Tendonitis, Central Stenosis, Cervical Spine Degenerative Joint Disease, Degenerative Disc Disease, Double Crush Syndrome, Foraminal Stenosis, Lumbar Spine Degenerative Joint Disease, Neuroforaminal Stenosis, Radiculopathy, Right Rotator Cuff Tear, Right Shoulder Bursitis, Right Shoulder Osteoarthritis, Spinal Stenosis, Spondylosis, Transition Syndrome
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 1, 2019
- Citation
- 19159861
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,990 · Granted: 35% (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 19159861.
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's PTSD resulted in occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity, warranting a 70% disability rating. The Veteran also met the criteria for a TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities preventing him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's low back disability, including diagnosed degenerative arthritis with DDD other than intervertebral disc syndrome and spinal stenosis status post L3, L4, and L5 laminectomy. The decision is based on the Veteran's in-service injury and his ongoing symptoms since then.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a right knee disability and a lumbar spine disability, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are at least as likely as not related to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty to assist error and requires an additional VA examination for the Veteran's back disability.
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