The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for right and left shoulder rotator cuff tears and impingement with acromioclavicular arthritis due to lack of an addendum opinion addressing the Veteran's lay statements about his injuries during service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not address the Veteran’s lay statements regarding his shoulder injuries and duties as a combat engineer in their previous opinions.
- Claimed conditions
- right shoulder rotator cuff tear, left shoulder rotator cuff tear
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- April 2, 2020
- Citation
- 20022856
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 20022856.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
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 found that the current medical opinion is inadequate and the record is incomplete without other opinions. The Veteran's left shoulder disorder may be related to service, but a VA examination is needed to determine if it was caused by or aggravated by his service-connected right shoulder disorder.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's left shoulder disability, including rotator cuff tear with degenerative arthritis and tendonitis, finding that it is related to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for right knee strain, left shoulder rotator cuff tear, and right shoulder rotator cuff tear due to inadequate medical opinions in the November 2020 rating decision. The VA is required to obtain an addendum opinion from a clinician to determine if these conditions are related to service.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his claims for right knee meniscal tear with osteoarthritis, bilateral hearing loss, left shoulder rotator cuff tear, neck condition, osteoarthritis left shoulder, osteoarthritis right shoulder, hypertension, low back condition, irritable bowel syndrome, and migraines.
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