The Board remands the claims for service connection of degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, right shoulder, and left shoulder due to inadequate medical opinions.
The deciding factor: The VA medical opinions were found to be duplicative and inadequate in addressing whether the Veteran's low back disability, right shoulder disability, and left shoulder disability were aggravated by his service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine (low back disability), Degenerative arthritis of the right shoulder, Degenerative arthritis of the left shoulder
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 3, 2025
- Citation
- 25007459
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 25007459.
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 low back disability, including degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, is considered to have originated during his active service and continues today. The Board has therefore granted service connection for this condition.
- Granted
The reduction of the evaluation from 50 percent to 20 percent for degenerative arthritis of the right shoulder was improper, and the 40 percent evaluation is restored.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection have been remanded due to the need for additional VA examinations. The AOJ is instructed to attempt rescheduling the Veteran's missed VA examinations.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including major depressive disorder, left shoulder arthritis, right ankle and knee conditions, have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment consistent with his educational and occupational history.
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