The Board has remanded the Veteran's increased rating claim for his service-connected right shoulder disability due to inadequate opinions from VA medical examiners regarding the severity of his condition at the time of the January 2019 VA examination.
The deciding factor: The VA medical examiners did not provide a retrospective opinion addressing the likely severity of the Veteran's service-connected right shoulder disability at the time of the January 2019 VA examination, as directed by the Board in prior remands.
- Claimed conditions
- recurrent dislocations, rotator cuff tendonitis, labral tear including SLAP - superior labrum, anterior to posterior - tear, subacromial/subdeltoid bursitis status post-surgery, rotator cuff tear
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 25, 2024
- Citation
- 24017759
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 24017759.
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 Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining clarification from the August 2017 VA examiner regarding which symptoms are related to his service-connected left trapezius strain and whether any non-service-connected conditions represent a progression of that disability.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal regarding a rating for muscle atrophy due to thoracic outlet syndrome and related conditions has been dismissed as the appellant requested withdrawal of the appeal.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including lumbosacral strain and acquired psychiatric disability, have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment. The Board has granted a TDIU based on the severity of his service-connected conditions.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for osteoarthritis with rotator cuff tendonitis and shoulder strain, left shoulder, finding that the Veteran's current disability is at least as likely as not incurred in or caused by his in-service treatment.
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