The Board has remanded the cases for additional examinations to assess the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected right shoulder and thoracolumbar spine disabilities due to potential worsening of symptoms.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations were inadequate, particularly regarding functional loss during flare-ups, which requires further evaluation by a VA examiner.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the right shoulder, Degenerative joint disease of the thoracic and lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 19, 2019
- Citation
- 19186967
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 remands the claims for service connection for degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine, right shoulder, and right wrist due to a need for additional development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for cervical spine, right shoulder, right and left hip, and right and left knee disorders as secondary to a back disability due to insufficient evidence regarding their relationship with the back disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection of degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, right shoulder, and left shoulder due to inadequate medical opinions.
- Denied
The Board denied increased ratings for cervical strain, lumbar spine osteoarthritis, degenerative arthritis of the right shoulder, and degenerative joint disease of both knees. The claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) was remanded.
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