The Board has determined that the VA examinations of record are inadequate for purposes of rating the Veteran's disabilities on appeal. The claims must be remanded to afford the Veteran VA examinations that assess and opine on the current state and severity of his service-connected left shoulder rotator cuff sprain and tendonitis with arthroscopy and AC joint separation, left knee patellofemoral syndrome, and thoracic back sprain conditions.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations are inadequate as they do not provide sufficient information to evaluate the current severity of the Veteran's disabilities given his reports of pain, fatigue, and associated functional loss.
- Claimed conditions
- left shoulder rotator cuff sprain and tendonitis with arthroscopy and AC joint separation, left knee patellofemoral syndrome, thoracic back sprain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 12, 2026
- Citation
- A26002648
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation A26002648.
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 the Veteran's claim for service connection of a left knee disability, finding that it is not proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected back and sciatica disabilities. The evidence did not support a nexus between the Veteran's current condition and his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment, leading to a TDIU rating.
- Granted
The Veteran's hypertension, left knee patellofemoral syndrome, and right knee patellofemoral syndrome have been granted service connection as secondary to his service-connected disabilities. The lumbar spine disability has also been granted but the effective date is not specified.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development to address the severity and functional impact of his knee and ankle disabilities.
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