The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence regarding the nature and etiology of his claimed disabilities, particularly headaches and left shoulder disability. The Veteran is presumed sound at entry into service, so any preexisting conditions must be shown to have been aggravated by service or not clearly and unmistakably exist prior to service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the evidence did not sufficiently address whether the Veteran's claimed disabilities were related to service due to insufficient examination opinions and treatment records. The Veteran is presumed sound at entry into service, so any preexisting conditions must be shown to have been aggravated by service or not clearly and unmistakably exist prior to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Headaches, Left Shoulder Disability, Bilateral Pes Planus, Bilateral Plantar Fasciitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 10, 2023
- Citation
- 23055271
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 23055271.
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 claims for service connection for right and left shoulder disabilities are remanded. The claim for sleep disorder (claimed as sleep apnea) remains denied.
- Denied
The claims for PTSD, an acquired psychiatric disorder, memory loss/memory problems, chronic fatigue, sleep difficulties/sleep disturbances, and sleep apnea have been denied. The claim for service connection for residuals of testicular denervation and varicosectomy has been granted.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left shoulder disabilities, finding insufficient evidence to establish an in-service event or injury related to his shoulders. The Veteran's current shoulder conditions are not linked to his military service.
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