The Veteran's claims for an increased disability rating for his left shoulder disability and service connection for upper back pain as secondary to a service-connected left shoulder disability are being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions and the retrieval of private treatment records.
The deciding factor: The VA examination report is inadequate to determine the level of impairment without considering the ameliorating effects of medication, and there have been no attempts to obtain the Veteran's private treatment records from Tennessee Orthopaedic Alliance.
- Claimed conditions
- left shoulder labral tear, upper back pain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 20, 2026
- Citation
- A26004777
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 A26004777.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's service connection claim for sinusitis is granted, and the increased rating claim for left shoulder labral tear is remanded.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for higher initial ratings and service connection were dismissed due to their death. The claims will be dismissed without prejudice.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand several claims due to the Veteran's entitlement to Social Security Administration (SSA) disability benefits, which were not considered in the previous decision.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal, which was dismissed due to the appellant's request for withdrawal.
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