The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate rationale in the VA examination and opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's right shoulder disability. The examiner did not consider post-service treatment records, which suggest the Veteran sought medical attention for his shoulder injury multiple times after service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the VA examiner’s rationale was based on an inaccurate premise regarding the timing of the Veteran's post-service treatment and therefore inadequate.
- Claimed conditions
- right shoulder pain/rotator cuff, degenerative arthritis, right shoulder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 9, 2020
- Citation
- 20046139
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 20046139.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for degenerative arthritis of the left and right shoulders, as well as for obstructive sleep apnea. The decision also grants service connection for degenerative arthritis of the left and right knees.
- Denied
The Board denied earlier effective dates for service connection and higher ratings for various disabilities, including degenerative arthritis of the right shoulder, residual surgical scar of the right shoulder, other specified trauma and stressor related disorder with depressive disorder, left foot plantar fasciitis with pes planus and metatarsalgia, fracture of the left ankle, and residuals, fracture, left third metacarpal/long finger.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for right shoulder pain/rotator cuff and degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine, finding that the evidence is at least in approximate balance regarding their etiological relation to active duty.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete VA treatment records.
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