The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's right shoulder disability. A new examination and opinion are needed based on full review of the record.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner’s opinion was insufficient as it did not consider the Veteran's reports of symptoms and history, including his description of the onset of his right shoulder pain during active military service.
- Claimed conditions
- right shoulder osteoarthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 19, 2019
- Citation
- 19187063
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 Board granted service connection for bilateral knee, bilateral shoulder, low back and bilateral hip disabilities based on the evidence showing that these conditions are related to the Veteran's active military service.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for left knee degenerative arthritis, right shoulder osteoarthritis, and right ear sensorineural hearing loss. The claims for an initial compensable rating for left ear hearing loss, allergic rhinitis, and increased rating for chronic fatigue syndrome were remanded.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for multiple osteoarthritis conditions, headaches, an acquired psychiatric disorder, diabetes mellitus, sleep apnea, and gout based on the evidence showing a relationship to the Veteran's active duty service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for initial disability ratings in excess of 20 percent for right shoulder osteoarthritis and left shoulder osteoarthritis, and in excess of 10 percent for right ankle osteoarthritis and left ankle osteoarthritis to ensure compliance with previous remand instructions.
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