The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for right shoulder degenerative joint disease with tendinopathy and left shoulder rotator cuff tendinopathy due to a lack of sufficient evidence in the record, particularly private treatment records. The Veteran contends that his bilateral shoulder disabilities are secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus and diabetic peripheral neuropathy.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner could not provide an opinion without reviewing the Veteran's relevant private treatment records, which were not available at the time of the July 2018 examination.
- Claimed conditions
- right shoulder degenerative joint disease with tendinopathy, left shoulder rotator cuff tendinopathy
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 14, 2021
- Citation
- 21022112
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 21022112.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for hypertension, finding it manifested to a compensable degree within one year of the Veteran's separation from service. The other claims were remanded for further development.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for left and right hand arthritis, as there is no current diagnosis of arthritis in the Veteran's hands. The claims for service connection for left carpal tunnel syndrome, right carpal tunnel syndrome, left hip arthritis, and left shoulder rotator cuff tendinopathy are remanded for further development.
- Granted
The Veteran's combined disability rating was properly calculated using the Combined Ratings Table, resulting in a 70 percent rating. The left shoulder rotator cuff tendinopathy grant did not change the overall 70 percent rating.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for increased ratings of his left and right shoulder disabilities, finding that no increase in disability occurred prior to February 21, 2017.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.