The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for left shoulder strain, left ankle sprain, right ankle sprain, cervical spine disability, and lumbar spine disability due to a lack of an addendum opinion addressing whether the Veteran's current claimed conditions are related to her military service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not address the Veteran’s competent reports of ongoing pain and problems since service in their examination reports. The Board finds that another remand is necessary for an addendum opinion to assess whether the Veteran’s left shoulder, bilateral ankle joint, neck, and back pain disorders are related to her military service.
- Claimed conditions
- left shoulder strain, left ankle sprain, right ankle sprain, cervical spine disability, lumbar spine disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 6, 2020
- Citation
- 20052321
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 20052321.
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 denied the claims of service connection for cervical spine and skin rash disabilities, finding that there is no evidence linking these conditions to active military service.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claims for miscarriage, cervical spine disability, lumbar spine disability, and right elbow disability due to insufficient examination opinions and incomplete service history verification.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's right ankle disability, finding that it had its onset during service and is related to service. The decision was made after considering both lay and medical evidence.
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