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
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.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the veteran's right shoulder, left shoulder, thoracolumbar spondylosis, cervical spondylosis, and both lower extremity radiculopathies as they were not incurred in or caused by his active service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for special monthly compensation based on the need for aid and attendance due to conflicting information regarding the Veteran's ability to perform daily activities.
- Partly granted
The Board granted the reopening of claims for scalp and head scars and headaches, but denied service connection for a traumatic brain injury. The remaining claims were remanded.
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