The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional evidence and clarification regarding his in-service injuries and stressors. The claims for type II diabetes mellitus, nerve pain in the feet, coronary artery disease, sleep apnea, and hypertension will also be remanded as they may be related to exposure to herbicide agents during service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claims require additional evidence to verify his in-service injuries and stressors, which could affect their eligibility for presumptive service connection under the Agent Orange Act of 1991.
- Claimed conditions
- metal in arm, left rotator cuff injury, acquired psychiatric disability (to include PTSD and depression)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 8, 2020
- Citation
- 20065711
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,893 · Granted: 31% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 20065711.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his withdrawal of the appeal for service connection for PTSD and a rating in excess of 20 percent for left rotator cuff injury.
- Granted
The Veteran's claims for service connection for left rotator cuff injury, spinal stenosis, and left shoulder arthritis have been granted. The decision is based on the evidence showing current disabilities and credible lay statements of in-service injuries or diseases.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and providing an addendum opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's left shoulder condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's service connection claim for left shoulder rotator cuff injury with degenerative joint disease is denied as it is not secondary to a service-connected disability. The claims for higher ratings for vertigo and bilateral hearing loss are remanded due to the need for updated VA treatment records.
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