The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased rating of his bilateral shoulder disabilities, as well as his TDIU claim due to changes in his disability status since previous examinations. He will need to undergo VA examinations for these issues.
The deciding factor: Changes in the Veteran's disability status necessitate new evaluations to determine appropriate ratings and eligibility for benefits.
- Claimed conditions
- Osteoarthritis of the shoulders, Right shoulder replacement, Left shoulder replacement
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 21, 2022
- Citation
- 22070991
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 22070991.
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 Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including right shoulder replacement and degenerative joint disease of the right ring finger, have prevented him from securing and following substantially gainful employment since September 18, 2009. The Board has granted effective dates for TDIU and DEA benefits.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the veteran's bilateral shoulder, elbow, wrist, and right ankle disabilities as there was no evidence of chronic disability in service or within a presumptive period, and no medical nexus to an in-service injury.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's appeal of his right shoulder replacement disability rating and TDIU claim prior to December 7, 2021 is remanded due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error regarding the need for an examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal for a higher disability rating for right shoulder replacement is being remanded due to the need for additional development and consideration of new evidence.
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