The Board has remanded the case due to issues regarding separate ratings for neuralgia and neuritis, as well as SMC based on loss of use of the left upper extremity. Additional development is needed to address these claims.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not include any conditions that would qualify him for separate ratings for neuralgia or neuritis, nor does he have a history of exposure to known causative agents like burn pits, Agent Orange, Camp Lejeune, radiation, or Gulf War Syndrome. The Board is seeking clarification on whether the Veteran has additional neurological diagnoses and if they are related to his service-connected conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- left arm impairment due to disk extrusion at C6-7 of the cervical spine (neurological symptoms of the left upper extremity), left supraspinatus tendinopathy, left shoulder acromioclavicular joint arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 5, 2023
- Citation
- 23000646
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,287 · Granted: 23% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 23000646.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's left shoulder acromioclavicular joint arthritis is currently rated at 20 percent, but the Board finds that it does not warrant a higher rating as there is no evidence of flexion and/or abduction limited to 25 degrees from the side.,For her adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood, the Veteran's current 70 percent rating is denied. The Board found that she does not meet the criteria for a 100 percent rating due to total occupational and social impairment.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for left and right shoulder acromioclavicular joint arthritis based on a continuity of symptomatology since active duty, and remanded the claim for cervical degenerative arthritis with DDD and strain to be considered as secondary to the shoulder conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an effective date prior to August 20, 2004, for the grants of service connection for left and right shoulder acromioclavicular joint arthritis and impingement syndrome.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the cause of the Veteran's left shoulder acromioclavicular joint arthritis, specifically whether it is related to his service-connected lumbar spine disc disease or a strengthening exercise for his back condition.
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