The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for right shoulder, neck, and right knee disabilities due to insufficient evidence in his service treatment records. The VA examiner is instructed to consider the Veteran's statements regarding the onset and progression of his disorders and provide opinions on whether it is at least as likely as not that these conditions are related to his military service.
The deciding factor: The Board found the existing medical opinions inadequate due to a lack of in-service documentation, and directed the VA examiner to consider the Veteran's statements regarding symptom onset and progression.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Shoulder Osteoarthritis, Cervical Degenerative Disc Disease (Cervical Spine), Acromioclavicular Joint Osteoarthritis with Labral Tear
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 29, 2020
- Citation
- 20043802
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 20043802.
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 Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not result in the physical loss or permanent loss of use of his hands or feet, nor does he have a severe burn injury. Therefore, he is ineligible for financial assistance for an automobile and adaptive equipment.
- Granted
The Veteran's right shoulder glenohumeral joint and acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis resulted in limited range of motion, with abduction limited to 25 degrees from the side. The Board granted a 40 percent disability rating for this condition.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's right shoulder disorder, diagnosed as osteoarthritis, is due to her service and grants service connection for this condition.
- Denied
The Veteran's right shoulder disability is rated at 20 percent, and the thoracolumbar spine disability is denied for ratings in excess of 20 percent prior to June 20, 2024, and 40 percent as of that date.
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