The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for his right shoulder and lumbosacral spine disabilities are being remanded due to deficiencies in the VA examinations conducted.,The TDIU claim is also being remanded as it is inextricably intertwined with the other claims on appeal.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations did not comply with the Board's previous directives and thus need to be redone.
- Claimed conditions
- rotator cuff tear with impingement syndrome of the right shoulder, lumbosacral strain with degenerative joint disease (DJD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 28, 2020
- Citation
- 20006486
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,196 · Granted: 17% (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 20006486.
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 remanded the claim for a rating in excess of 20 percent for lumbosacral strain with degenerative joint disease (DJD) due to inadequate examination and need for updated VA treatment records.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for various rating claims related to his knee, hip, and radiculopathy conditions. The issues were not pursued further as the Veteran withdrew his appeal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, increased ratings for lumbosacral strain with degenerative joint disease (DJD) and hypertension, and a TDIU claim due to inadequate examinations and missing personnel records.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment for the periods of October 17, 2012 to May 7, 2013; August 1, 2013 to October 22, 2013; and February 1, 2014 to April 27, 2015. As a result, TDIU was granted for these periods.
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