The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for a disability rating in excess of 20 percent for his left shoulder disability and service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including as secondary to his service-connected left shoulder disability. The Veteran will need further examinations and evaluations to determine the current severity of his left shoulder condition and whether any diagnosed mental disorder is related to or aggravated by his service-connected left shoulder disability.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the previous VA examination reports for the shoulders were not in strict compliance with a Court's decision, requiring more comprehensive testing including passive motion, weight-bearing, and non-weight-bearing range of motion. Additionally, the psychiatric examination did not address the private medical opinion submitted by the Veteran.
- Claimed conditions
- left shoulder disability, acquired psychiatric disorder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20026422
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 20026422.
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
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Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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