The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's left shoulder degenerative joint disease and capsulitis are related to his military service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not provide an adequate rationale for their opinions, specifically ignoring the Veteran’s reports of shoulder problems after service and since.
- Claimed conditions
- left shoulder degenerative joint disease, left shoulder capsulitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 26, 2020
- Citation
- 20068978
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,549 · Granted: 29% (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 20068978.
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 claim for a higher rating for left shoulder degenerative joint disease with glenohumeral joint instability was denied as his disability did not more nearly approximate limitation of motion to 25 degrees from the side.
- Denied
The Veteran's appeal is denied as he does not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 20 percent for left shoulder capsulitis and bicipital tendonitis prior to October 19, 2016. He is granted a 30 percent rating from December 1, 2017, to May 22, 2023, and a 60 percent rating thereafter for his left shoulder disability.
- Denied
The Veteran's appeals for increased disability ratings and service connection were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for an increased rating or service connection in all cases.
- Partly granted
The Board denied higher ratings for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss, granted a 30% rating for hyperacusis from January 31, 2008, and granted SMC based on the need for aid and attendance.
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