The Veteran's claim for service connection for a tailbone disability has been reopened, and the appeal is granted. The right shoulder disability remains at 20 percent, with no extraschedular rating or TDIU granted. Left hip degenerative changes and residual scars of the chest remain at their current evaluations.
The deciding factor: The new evidence received since July 2010 includes x-ray findings of mild to moderate bilateral sacroiliac joint degenerative changes, which relates to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate service connection for a tailbone disability. The right shoulder disability does not meet the criteria for higher evaluations under current rating criteria.
- Claimed conditions
- tailbone injury, right shoulder impingement syndrome with rotator cuff tendonitis and glenohumeral joint osteoarthritis
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 25, 2024
- Citation
- 24003825
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,240 · Granted: 28% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 24003825.
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 Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and need for further examination and medical opinions.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for right breast cancer and residuals of a tailbone injury, finding that the evidence did not support a nexus to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a tailbone injury, left hip disorder, and low back disorder due to insufficient evidence in the record. The RO is instructed to obtain missing service treatment records and provide new medical opinions.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for a back disorder, finding that his current condition is not related to his military service.
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