The Board has determined that remand is necessary to obtain a retrospective medical opinion on the severity and functional impact of flare-ups of the Veteran's right shoulder condition prior to July 29, 2020.
The deciding factor: The January 2018 VA examination was inadequate as it did not elicit information regarding the frequency or severity of the Veteran's flare-ups and did not estimate his functional loss during a flare-up in terms of limitation of motion based on relevant sources.
- Claimed conditions
- right shoulder rotator cuff tear
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 20, 2023
- Citation
- 23039869
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 23039869.
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 Board has remanded the claims for right knee strain, left shoulder rotator cuff tear, and right shoulder rotator cuff tear due to inadequate medical opinions in the November 2020 rating decision. The VA is required to obtain an addendum opinion from a clinician to determine if these conditions are related to service.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of a right shoulder rotator cuff tear has been dismissed due to the Veteran's death during the pendency of the appeal.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected conditions did not result in his inability to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation prior to June 19, 2019. The Board denied an earlier effective date for the TDIU.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a duty to assist error and insufficient medical opinions regarding service connection for right shoulder condition.
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