The Board remands the claims for service connection for a lumbar spine disorder and right shoulder disorder due to missing service records, requiring additional VA examinations.
The deciding factor: The opinions from the October 2022 VA examinations are inadequate due to the absence of in-service documentation and the lack of continuity of symptoms since discharge.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine disorder (claimed as residuals of tailbone injury to include low back strain), right shoulder disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 13, 2025
- Citation
- A25023613
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 a head injury, headache disorder, erectile dysfunction, left earache disorder, chronic fatigue, right shoulder disorder, irritable bowel syndrome, right foot disorder, GERD, and left shoulder disorder, as the evidence did not support current diagnoses of these conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for a right shoulder disorder, including bicipital tendon tear, rotator cuff tear, and tendinosis, as there was no evidence of an in-service injury or chronicity of symptoms to support a direct link between the current condition and active duty.
- Dismissed
The veteran withdrew the appeal for all service connection and rating issues, and the Board has no jurisdiction to review these matters.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for tinea pedis of the left foot and remanded claims for a bilateral foot disorder, cervical disorder, left shoulder disorder, lumbosacral disorder, right shoulder disorder, right knee disorder, left knee disorder, and eardrum disorder.
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