The Veteran's bilateral shoulder disabilities are currently rated at 20 percent disabling. The Board has found the VA examination to be inadequate for purposes of enabling a proper assessment of the current severity of his bilateral shoulder disability and has therefore remanded the case for further evaluation.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not specify the exact point pain began during active or passive range of motion testing, nor whether the Veteran experienced an impairment that was the functional equivalent to ankylosis. The Board found these findings inadequate for a proper assessment and thus remanded the case for further examination.
- Claimed conditions
- left shoulder strain, right shoulder strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 27, 2023
- Citation
- A23033359
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 A23033359.
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 Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for right shoulder strain as there is no evidence of a chronic condition in service or within one year after discharge, and the medical opinion found that his current condition is not related to his military service.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's hypertension, left shoulder strain, and right shoulder disability are all granted as service-connected.,The Veteran is also remanded for a rating in excess of 10 percent for degenerative arthritis of the spine and for service connection for sleep apnea.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinions and a need for additional examination.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board has granted entitlement to total disability based on individual unemployability.
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