The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of the Veteran's right elbow disability. The examiner is requested to provide a clear and unmistakable opinion on whether any pre-existing condition existed prior to service, if so, whether it underwent no permanent increase in severity as a result of active service, or if not, whether it is at least as likely as not related to service.
The deciding factor: The Board found the VA examiner's opinions inadequate due to lack of rationale and unclear diagnosis. The case was remanded for further examination and opinion regarding the etiology of the right elbow disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Elbow Disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 19, 2019
- Citation
- 19187130
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,726 · Granted: 19% (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 19187130.
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 current right shoulder disability is not related to service, but the right elbow disability requires further review due to a duty-to-assist error in obtaining an inadequate medical opinion.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to duty to assist errors identified during higher-level review. The Veteran's right knee and right elbow disabilities are now subject to further development.
- Granted
The Veteran's right elbow disability resulted in flexion limited to 90 degrees, which meets the criteria for a 20 percent rating under Diagnostic Code 5206.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient medical opinions and a need for further development.
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