The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding his left shoulder disability, cervical spine disability, and lumbar degenerative disc disease.,The VA examiner is requested to provide clarification on the severity of the muscle group injuries in the Veteran's left shoulder as well as assess the impact of his newly service-connected cervical spine disability on his lumbar spine disability.
The deciding factor: Additional medical opinions are needed to properly evaluate and address the Veteran’s claims, particularly regarding the relationship between his service-connected disabilities and their current severity.
- Claimed conditions
- Residual scar due to shell fragment wound in the left scapular area, Residual scar due to shell fragment wound in the right shoulder and thorax, Lumbar degenerative disc disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 1, 2021
- Citation
- 21005549
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 21005549.
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 has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for acute kidney failure and lumbar degenerative disc disease, finding that there is no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his military service.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for cervical spine arthritis, bilateral knee degenerative arthritis, and lumbar degenerative disc disease. The Veteran's conditions are deemed to have been incurred during his active military service.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 40 percent rating for lumbar degenerative disc disease but denied an initial compensable rating for erectile dysfunction and service connection for generalized anxiety disorder.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issues of entitlement to increased ratings for various service-connected disabilities, including lumbar degenerative disc disease and radiculopathies, as well as tinnitus, due to inadequate VA examinations.
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