The Board has remanded the claims for left and right shoulder disabilities due to incomplete service medical records, particularly regarding the appellant's periods of active duty for training (ACDUTRA) or inactive duty for training (INACDUTRA). The VA is required to obtain these records to determine if the appellant’s current shoulder disabilities are related to his military service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the dates the appellant served on ACDUTRA and INACDUTRA were not of record, which could affect the determination of whether the appellant's shoulder disabilities had their onset during active duty or a period of training. The VA is required to obtain these records for proper adjudication.
- Claimed conditions
- left shoulder strain, right shoulder strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 27, 2020
- Citation
- A20017573
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 A20017573.
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.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for right shoulder strain as there is no evidence of a chronic condition in service or within one year after discharge, and the medical opinion found that his current condition is not related to his military service.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's hypertension, left shoulder strain, and right shoulder disability are all granted as service-connected.,The Veteran is also remanded for a rating in excess of 10 percent for degenerative arthritis of the spine and for service connection for sleep apnea.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinions and a need for additional examination.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board has granted entitlement to total disability based on individual unemployability.
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