The Board has remanded the case for a new VA examination and opinion to determine if the Veteran's left shoulder disabilities are related to service, including as due to a 1999 in-service motor vehicle accident and/or carrying caskets weighing 800 pounds or more during service. The examiner is also asked to provide opinions on whether the disabilities were caused by or aggravated by service-connected back and neck disabilities.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the previous opinion was inadequate as it did not consider the Veteran's reported symptoms post-service, which included pain in the left shoulder since service separation.
- Claimed conditions
- left shoulder rotator cuff tendonitis, left shoulder rotator cuff tear, left shoulder labral tear, left shoulder arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 6, 2020
- Citation
- 20071840
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 Board denied service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for headaches and increased ratings for left shoulder rotator cuff tear, right shoulder rotator cuff tear, hypertension, and left and right leg restless leg syndrome. The Board denied a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and an initial rating in excess of 70 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the veteran's claimed conditions, including right shoulder arthritis, left shoulder arthritis, right hip condition, left hip condition, low back disability, and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, as there was no evidence of in-service injury or illness related to these conditions.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for allergic rhinitis and remanded the other claims for further development.
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