The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral-shoulder disorder, left-arm disorder, and right-hand disorder due to inadequate medical opinions. The Veteran's lumbar spine disability claim is also remanded for additional examination and opinion.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner provided insufficient opinions regarding secondary causation and aggravation of the disorders by service-connected disabilities, as well as inadequate opinions on functional ankylosis for the lumbar spine disorder with left-lower-extremity radiculopathy claim.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral-shoulder disorder, left-arm disorder, right-hand disorder
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 18, 2022
- Citation
- 22040918
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 22040918.
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.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection of bilateral hand disorders, syncope, and knee disorders. The right-hand disorder appeal was withdrawn by the Veteran prior to the decision. Service connection for a disability manifested by syncope is denied as there is no current disability. The issues of service connection for GERD and knee disorders are remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for a right-hand disorder and left-hand disorder to obtain additional evidence, including new VA medical opinions.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection for a lumbar spine disorder, sleep apnea, and chronic sinusitis prior to August 10, 2022, as these claims were granted in full by a September 2024 rating decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted service connection. The Board finds it was a pre-decisional duty to assist error not to clearly identify the Veteran's periods of ACDUTRA and INACDUTRA, and remands for further action on dizziness (vertigo), gastrointestinal disorder, sleep apnea, back disorder, right shoulder disorder, right-hand disorder, left-hand disorder, headaches, and neck disorder.
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