The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for a rating in excess of 20 percent for right shoulder tender scars, surgical scars on the right shoulder, and an effective date earlier than June 28, 2018, for service connection. Additional development is needed, including obtaining updated VA treatment records, scheduling the Veteran for an examination to assess the severity of his disabilities, and giving him the opportunity to provide any additional evidence.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that the current level of disability cannot be accurately assessed without updated medical records and a recent examination due to the significant passage of time since the last VA examination.
- Claimed conditions
- right shoulder tender scars, surgical scars, right shoulder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 11, 2024
- Citation
- 24015691
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 24015691.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation since July 15, 2019.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for rotator cuff and bicipital tendon repair with degenerative arthritis, right shoulder; shoulder strain, left; and surgical scars, right shoulder are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations to assess current severity.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased rating for various disabilities, including cervical radiculopathy of the right upper extremity, left shoulder arthritis, right shoulder arthritis, degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine with strain status post fusion, degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, degenerative joint disease of the right hip, degenerative joint disease of the left hip, left knee arthritis, leg length discrepancy, chronic right ankle sprain with avulsion fracture and Morton’s neuroma, scar, anterior neck, nonlinear surgical scar, right shoulder, surgical scars, right shoulder, tension headaches, right inguinal neuropathy, status post inguinal hernia repair, attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with mood disorder, and bruxism with temporomandibular joint dysfunction. Additional examinations are needed to determine the current severity of these disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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