The Board has decided to remand the cases for further development and clarification of the medical opinions provided, as they do not address all theories of entitlement raised by the Veteran.
The deciding factor: The VA medical opinions are inadequate because they do not address whether the claimed disabilities are directly related to an in-service injury or if either disability was aggravated by a service-connected condition.
- Claimed conditions
- left acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis, cervical degenerative disc disease (DDD) and spondylosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 8, 2023
- Citation
- 23049704
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 23049704.
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 case due to inadequate medical opinions and a need for a VA addendum opinion from an orthopedic specialist.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for left acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis was dismissed by the Veteran.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for a left shoulder disability, finding that there was no credible evidence of an in-service injury or continuity of symptoms since service.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for right shoulder rotator cuff tendonitis, left shoulder rotator cuff tendonitis, left subacromial/subdeltoid bursitis and left acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis, and cervical intervertebral disc syndrome and cervical degenerative disc disease and myelomalacia due to these conditions being proximately due or aggravated by the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.
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