The Board remands the claims for an initial rating in excess of 20 percent for left shoulder degenerative arthritis, right shoulder degenerative arthritis, and left knee arthritis, as well as a claim for special monthly compensation based on loss of use of lower extremities, to correct duty to assist errors.
The deciding factor: The January 2013 VA joints examination and December 2019 VA shoulder and knee examinations are inadequate due to insufficient range of motion findings that do not address the ameliorative effects of medication. Additionally, the January 2013 VA examination report does not provide specific values for ROM in passive motion, weight-bearing, and non-weight-bearing despite noting pain and functional loss.
- Claimed conditions
- left shoulder degenerative arthritis, right shoulder degenerative arthritis, left knee arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 18, 2025
- Citation
- A25053347
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 Board dismissed the appeals for earlier effective dates related to various left and right hip, knee, shoulder, and other conditions as they were freestanding claims not continuously pursued from the initial rating decisions.
- Partly granted
The appeal was denied for a compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss, while other issues were remanded for further evidence and examination.
- Granted
The Board granted the appeals for severance of service connection for neck, left shoulder, and left upper extremity radiculopathy disabilities, as well as entitlement to service connection for headaches.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for left knee arthritis, right knee arthritis, and tinnitus. The increased evaluation claim for pes planus was denied, as was the increase in rating for the right wrist fracture. The reduction of the right wrist rating from 10 percent to 0 percent was found improper, restoring the 10 percent rating.
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