The Board remands the claims for service connection for a left and right shoulder condition to obtain a VA opinion that considers the Veteran's lay statements regarding the onset of his conditions during active service.
The deciding factor: The October 2023 VA examiner did not consider the Veteran's lay statements about the onset of his shoulder pain during physical training, which is a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
- Claimed conditions
- left shoulder condition, right shoulder condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 17, 2025
- Citation
- A25052919
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.
- Dismissed
The veteran's appeal requests for service connection and increased ratings were denied due to untimeliness, as the appeals were not filed within one year of the respective rating decisions.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a left shoulder condition, finding that the Veteran's current disability is related to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for back, left wrist, left and right knee, and left and right shoulder conditions due to missing personnel records and an inadequate VA medical opinion.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for multiple conditions, including left and right leg, arm, knee, shoulder, kidney, plantar fasciitis, and back conditions, as further development is needed to address pre-decisional duty to assist errors.
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