The Veteran's initial disability ratings for right and left shoulder impingement syndromes are being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination during his 'worst days'.
The deciding factor: The Veteran requested a new VA examination to assess his current severity and manifestations of bilateral shoulder disabilities, particularly during flare-ups.
- Claimed conditions
- right shoulder impingement syndrome, left shoulder impingement syndrome
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 19, 2020
- Citation
- 20067474
Veterans Law Judge
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 20067474.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to a duty to assist error. The VA will obtain new opinions from different VA examiners to address whether the Veteran's conditions were incurred or aggravated by his military service, including exposure during combat.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for SMC based on loss of use of the left upper extremity is remanded due to inadequate examination and opinion regarding her service-connected disabilities.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment prior to January 31, 2023.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for left shoulder impingement syndrome as there was no evidence of an in-service injury or event that could be linked to his current condition.
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