The Board has remanded the claims for increased ratings for right shoulder sprain, right wrist sprain, and right ankle sprain due to a lack of an SSOC. The issue of service connection for a stomach/esophageus disorder is also remanded as it requires a VA addendum opinion.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the last VA examinations were over 8 years old and thus inadequate for current rating determinations, necessitating new evaluations.
- Claimed conditions
- stomach/esophageus disorder, right shoulder sprain, right wrist sprain, right ankle sprain
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 29, 2019
- Citation
- 19190031
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,446 · Granted: 21% (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 19190031.
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 has granted service connection for the Veteran's right ankle disability, finding that it had its onset during service and is related to service. The decision was made after considering both lay and medical evidence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded for a VA-scheduled aid and attendance/housebound examination to determine eligibility for special monthly compensation based on the need for aid and assistance due to his service-connected disabilities. The examiner must address specific questions regarding the Veteran's ability to perform daily activities, including dressing, feeding, attending to personal hygiene, protection from environmental hazards, and confinement.
- Granted
The Veteran's tinnitus was granted service connection with a 10% disability rating effective August 8, 2023. Service connection for right hand and thumb disabilities as well as right wrist sprain were also granted. However, the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss did not meet VA criteria for compensation.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's current right and left ankle disabilities are related to repetitive parachute jumps during service, granting service connection for these conditions.
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