The Board remands the Veteran's claims for service connection for left and right shoulder strains due to an inadequate VA examination.
The deciding factor: The VA opinion was found to be inadequate as it did not consider the Veteran's competent reports of ongoing shoulder pain since service, which is a duty to assist error.
- Claimed conditions
- left shoulder strain, right shoulder strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 2, 2025
- Citation
- A25030192
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.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's service connection for left shoulder strain, labral tear, acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis, and tendinitis was granted, while the effective date prior to November 11, 2023, for migraine headaches was denied.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for chronic sinusitis, left shoulder strain, lumbosacral strain, and radiculopathy of the right lower extremity to ensure compliance with its previous remand directives.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for chronic sinusitis, left shoulder strain, lumbosacral strain, and radiculopathy of the right lower extremity to ensure compliance with its previous remand directives.
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