The Board has found that there were pre-decisional duty to assist errors and a remand is required for the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for trouble sleeping, left shoulder pain, and left wrist pain. The VA was not able to obtain relevant private treatment records due to lack of notification or follow-up.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there were duty to assist errors as the VA did not notify the Veteran about scheduled examinations and failed to provide adequate follow-up for missed appointments.
- Claimed conditions
- trouble sleeping, left shoulder pain, left wrist pain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 17, 2021
- Citation
- A21020172
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 A21020172.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's requests to reopen previously denied service connection claims for various joint conditions, including right ankle arthritis, left ankle arthritis, right shoulder pain, left shoulder pain, right knee arthritis, and left knee arthritis. The skin condition claim is remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to errors in duty to assist and need for additional medical opinions. The Veteran's pre-existing conditions are being evaluated, as is his current symptoms.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for skin cancer, facial scars, impairment of cranial nerve V and VII, left eye condition with watering and dryness, and left shoulder pain due to a duty-to-assist error in obtaining an adequate medical opinion regarding the relationship between these conditions and service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left shoulder pain and a rating in excess of 10 percent for right knee strain, finding that there was no evidence to support a nexus between his current conditions and his military service.
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