The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to new evidence submitted by the Veteran, including private medical records and a statement from her primary care physician. The Veteran's service connection claims are related to her duties as a cargo handler in the Air Force Reserve.
The deciding factor: The VA is required to obtain an examination or opinion if there is insufficient information provided by the Veteran to make a determination on the merits of the claim, and the Veteran submits new evidence that raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Shoulder Disability, Left Shoulder Disability, Right Arm Disability, Left Arm Disability, Right Hand Disability, Left Hand Disability, Neck Disability, Thoracolumbar Spine Disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 6, 2023
- Citation
- 23048737
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 23048737.
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 denied the veteran's claims for a higher rating for PTSD and dismissed his appeals regarding increased ratings for tinnitus and a right hand disability due to lack of timely filing of Notice of Disagreement.
- Remanded (sent back)
The claims for service connection for right and left shoulder disabilities are remanded. The claim for sleep disorder (claimed as sleep apnea) remains denied.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Neck Disability, and Bilateral Upper Extremity Radiculopathy. The decision is based on the Veteran's active service and medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an effective date before April 1, 2018 for a 20% rating for left shoulder disability was denied. The appeal also resulted in the assignment of a 20% rating from April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2018, and a TDIU granted from April 1, 2018 to September 3, 2025.
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