The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for left knee, right knee, and right shoulder disabilities due to pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors.
The deciding factor: The VA medical opinion is inadequate and there are pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors regarding the Veteran's exposure to asbestos during service and the etiology of his current bilateral knee and right shoulder disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- rheumatoid arthritis, right shoulder joint replacement, right glenohumeral and acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis, right shoulder degenerative arthritis and osteopenia, left knee recurrent subluxation, bilateral knee instability, bilateral knee total joint replacement
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 15, 2023
- Citation
- A23032367
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 A23032367.
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 Veteran's rheumatoid arthritis disability rating is being remanded for additional development due to significant weight loss and anemia.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for right knee disability, left knee arthritis, and bilateral knee instability. The decision is based on the Veteran's competent and credible lay evidence regarding the onset of symptoms in service.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeal because the proposed combination of separate ratings for right shoulder joint replacement and right shoulder rotator cuff tear with post-traumatic arthritis to a single rating is not an appealable decision.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea and hepatic steatosis have been denied. The claim for rheumatoid arthritis is being remanded.,Service connection has not been established for the claimed conditions.
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