The Veteran's bilateral shoulder disabilities are being remanded for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his conditions and to determine if he experiences flare-ups that impact function.
The deciding factor: The Board finds a need for a new VA examination due to the passage of time since the last examination, as well as the Veteran's contention that his bilateral shoulder disabilities are more severe than currently rated.
- Claimed conditions
- left shoulder degenerative joint disease, right shoulder degenerative joint disease and internal derangement
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 28, 2020
- Citation
- 20070055
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,104 · Granted: 28% (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 20070055.
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 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.
- 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.
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