The Veteran's appeal for a compensable initial disability rating for scars of the right shoulder is dismissed.,The Veteran’s service-connected disabilities prevent him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and occupational experience, resulting in entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).,The Veteran's appeal for an increased disability rating for a condition of the right shoulder is remanded.
The deciding factor: The Veteran requested that his claim be withdrawn for the compensable initial disability rating for scars of the right shoulder.,The Veteran’s service-connected disabilities prevent him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and occupational experience, meeting the schedular criteria for a TDIU.,VA examinations were conducted in February and May 2016 but did not assess neurological abnormalities associated with the right shoulder condition.
- Claimed conditions
- scars of the right shoulder, right shoulder condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 27, 2019
- Citation
- 19196495
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,104 · Granted: 28% (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 19196495.
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's appeal was dismissed due to their death during the pendency of the appeal.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for treatment purposes only under Chapter 17 for various conditions, including cervical spine condition, right upper extremity nerve condition, left upper extremity nerve condition, headache condition, right wrist condition, left wrist condition, right elbow condition, left elbow condition, right shoulder condition, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), bilateral pes planus, right ankle disorder, left ankle disorder, and left knee disorder.
- Denied
The Board has determined that there is no evidence of a current disability for any of the claimed conditions, and thus service connection cannot be granted.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including psychiatric disorders, chronic fatigue, congestive heart failure, DM II, hypertension, and a right shoulder condition. The Veteran's claims were based on presumed exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
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