The Board has determined that there are duty to assist errors and the case is remanded for further development, including obtaining STRs from the Veteran's Reserve units and medical records from his private providers.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner's opinion did not address whether the injury occurred during a period of ACDUTRA or INACDUTRA, which is necessary to determine service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Shoulder Rotator Cuff Tear
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 17, 2026
- Citation
- A26014363
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 A26014363.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of his left shoulder rotator cuff tear is granted, with the effective date set at January 17, 2020.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that there was a duty to assist error and remanded the claims for further development. The Veteran's service connection claims for right and left shoulder rotator cuff tears are being returned to the AOJ for additional consideration.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's PTSD symptoms were found to have approximated total occupational and social impairment from June 15, 2020. The Board granted an earlier effective date of June 15, 2020 for a one hundred percent rating of PTSD. The claim of service connection for left shoulder disability is remanded due to the need for additional evidence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further review of his claims, including the extension of a temporary total disability evaluation and a rating in excess of 20 percent for left shoulder rotator cuff tear.
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