The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's current right shoulder and/or clavicle disability is related to service. The Veteran needs a VA examination to determine if his in-service injury caused the muscle wasting one month after discharge or if it is from another incident.
The deciding factor: The Board found the previous opinion inadequate as it did not consider other medical evidence, particularly the August 1986 follow-up where the examiner noted muscle wasting in the Veteran's right shoulder.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Shoulder Condition, Disability of Right Clavicle
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 26, 2019
- Citation
- 19196163
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,088 · Granted: 33% (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 19196163.
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 does not have a current right shoulder condition or neck condition, and therefore service connection for these conditions is denied. The claims of service connection for a neck condition as secondary to a service-connected right wrist condition and for bilateral hearing loss are remanded due to insufficient evidence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inadequate medical opinions and potential gaps in documented medical treatment.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a right shoulder condition, finding it directly related to the Veteran's military service. The effective date is October 24, 2025.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claim of service connection for a right shoulder condition due to insufficient evidence and the need for a VA examination.
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