The Board remands the claims for further development and evidence gathering, including obtaining complete Social Security Administration records.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner's opinion did not address direct service connection or aggravation by a service-connected condition, necessitating a remand for additional medical opinion.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), Unspecified depressive disorder, Left shoulder dislocation with degenerative arthritis, Left shoulder recurrent dislocation of the scapulohumeral joint with degenerative arthritis, Peripheral neuropathy of the median nerve of the right upper extremity, Peripheral neuropathy of the circumflex nerve of the left upper extremity, Left shoulder surgical scar, tender to palpation, Compensable rating for a left shoulder scar status-post arthroplasty, Total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities (TDIU) prior to July 7, 2023
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 31, 2025
- Citation
- A25029531
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 Board granted service connection for PTSD, resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor and finding that his PTSD is related to an in-service military sexual trauma (MST) during a period of ACDUTRA.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of May 17, 2019, for a 70 percent disability rating for PTSD but denied earlier effective dates for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.
- Partly granted
The Board granted readjudication of previously denied claims for service connection for PTSD and COPD, while remanding other issues including entitlement to service connection for an eye disorder, hypertension, tinnitus, a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, TDIU, and an initial rating for PTSD.
- Denied
The appeal for higher ratings and effective dates for various conditions was denied, with the exception of left and right lower extremity radiculopathy which were granted an earlier effective date.
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