The Board has vacated and remanded the claims for increased ratings of service-connected left shoulder, right shoulder, lumbar spine, left hip, and right hip disabilities due to inadequate VA examinations in 2014.
The deciding factor: The Joint Motion found that the Board erred in relying on VA examinations from 2014 in deciding the claims, as well as found the VA examinations inadequate with regard to findings pertaining to weight-bearing and flare-ups.
- Claimed conditions
- left shoulder impingement syndrome with degenerative changes, right shoulder impingement syndrome with degenerative changes, sacroiliac joint and lumbar spine degenerative disease, left hip degenerative joint disease, right hip degenerative joint disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 21, 2019
- Citation
- 19187781
Veterans Law Judge
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 19187781.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeals for all issues related to service connection, including chronic right foot metatarsalgia at digit 3,4,5, left shoulder bicep tendonitis, right hip degenerative joint disease, hypertension, right shoulder bicep tendonitis, headaches, left hip degenerative joint disease, and atrial fibrillation with residual non ischemic cardiomyopathy.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to inadequate medical opinions and inextricably intertwined issues.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied as his conditions did not meet the criteria for higher ratings under applicable VA rating codes.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to a duty-to-assist error, specifically regarding inadequate opinions on the etiology of the Veteran's intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS), right hip degenerative joint disease, and left lower extremity sciatic nerve problem. The issues related to right knee degenerative arthritis are also remanded as they are intertwined with the IVDS claim.
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