The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his specific phobia with generalized anxiety disorder and left shoulder rotator cuff tendonitis, finding that the evidence does not support a higher rating under the applicable criteria. The case is remanded to allow for further examination and evaluation of the Veteran’s conditions.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's symptoms did not warrant a higher disability rating based on the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders or the Diagnostic Code for shoulder disorders, as his impairment was consistent with a 30 percent rating under both criteria. The case is remanded to allow for further examination and evaluation of the Veteran’s conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Specific Phobia with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Left Shoulder Rotator Cuff Tendinitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 17, 2019
- Citation
- 19179276
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,456 · Granted: 23% (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 19179276.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection of right and left shoulder disabilities are denied. The case is remanded to obtain a more current examination to assess the severity of the service-connected disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claims for further development due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the in-service onset of the Veteran's shoulder disorders.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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