The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for a right shoulder disability for further development, including an addendum medical opinion and potentially a new VA examination.
The deciding factor: The December 2024 and March 2025 VA opinions were found inadequate due to their failure to adequately address the Veteran's continuous complaints since the in-service injury in 2003 and other relevant evidence, such as statements from SMSgt K.S., a nursing services superintendent.
- Claimed conditions
- right shoulder strain, right rotator cuff tendonitis, bursitis, impingement syndrome, paralabral cyst which may be sequela from a prior labral tear, degenerative joint disease, limited range of motion, pain (that causes functional loss)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 2, 2025
- Citation
- 25007381
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including bilateral plantar fasciitis, chronic pain syndrome, sciatic radicular pain of both legs, traumatic brain injury (TBI), shin splints of both legs, thoracic spondylosis, right shoulder strain, right wrist strain, acne, and allergic rhinitis.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of February 7, 2020, for the award of a 70 percent rating for unspecified depressive disorder and TDIU, but denied earlier effective dates for other conditions.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal, and there are no allegations of error for appellate consideration.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for left shoulder strain, right shoulder strain, early osteoarthritis of the left and right hips (secondary to a service-connected knee disability), and right and left ankle strains (secondary to a service-connected knee disability).
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