The Board has remanded the cases due to the need for additional development, including obtaining retrospective opinions on passive range of motion at prior examinations.
The deciding factor: The claims are being remanded because the requested retrospective opinions have not been provided and are necessary to determine the Veteran's current disability levels accurately.
- Claimed conditions
- left shoulder degenerative arthritis, right shoulder degenerative arthritis, degenerative disc disease at L5-S1 s/p L4-L5 laminectomy and discectomy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 7, 2021
- Citation
- 21001097
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 21001097.
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 appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining clarification from the August 2017 VA examiner regarding which symptoms are related to his service-connected left trapezius strain and whether any non-service-connected conditions represent a progression of that disability.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for right shoulder degenerative arthritis with rotator cuff ossific tendinopathy, finding that his current disability is less likely related to service.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for bilateral shoulder degenerative arthritis, finding that the Veteran's current condition is proximately due to his military activities.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection for right shoulder degenerative arthritis is granted. The claims for higher ratings for bilateral pes cavus, left ankle impingement, and left knee disability are remanded due to the need for additional evidence.
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