The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right shoulder disability and a back disability due to insufficient information in the record. The Veteran must provide his military personnel records, VA treatment records from January 2021 to present, and any outstanding private treatment records. A VA examination is needed to determine if the Veteran was involved in a motor vehicle accident in service and/or has the requisite service at Camp Lejeune. If so, an examiner will need to provide opinions on whether his right shoulder and back disabilities are related to active service, including due to the motor vehicle accident and contaminated water exposure.
The deciding factor: The Board found insufficient information in the record to make a decision on the Veteran's claims for service connection for his right shoulder disability and back disability. The Veteran must provide additional records and undergo an examination to determine if he was exposed to potential causes of his disabilities during service.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Shoulder Disability, Back Disability
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 14, 2021
- Citation
- 21021968
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 21021968.
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 claims for service connection for right and left shoulder disabilities are remanded. The claim for sleep disorder (claimed as sleep apnea) remains denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left shoulder disabilities, finding insufficient evidence to establish an in-service event or injury related to his shoulders. The Veteran's current shoulder conditions are not linked to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's right shoulder disability, low back condition, bilateral knee disabilities, and left shoulder strain have been granted service connection. The Veteran's low back condition has been increased to a 40 percent evaluation, while the bilateral knee conditions remain at their current 10 percent evaluations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's right shoulder disability is related to his service-connected TMJ.
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