The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral shoulder pain, right hip strain, and degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine due to pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors. The AOJ is instructed to verify all periods of active duty reserve (ACDUTRA and INACDUTRA) and obtain addendum opinions from VA examiners.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the VA examination opinions were inadequate and there was a failure to verify the Veteran's dates of ACDUTRA and INACDUTRA as well as its reliance on inadequate VA examination opinions constitutes pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral shoulder pain, right hip strain, degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 4, 2026
- Citation
- A26019524
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 A26019524.
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 appeals for a higher rating, compensable rating, and extension of temporary total evaluation for his lumbar spine disability have been dismissed due to the Veteran withdrawing all claims in April 2022.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability, including degenerative arthritis and IVDS. The decision is based on the Veteran's in-service injury during active duty and his continuous symptoms since then.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded several claims for further action, including effective date determinations and service connection determinations. The Veteran's service records from Portsmouth Naval Hospital are requested to be obtained.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of his right hip disability is denied as the earliest date of entitlement is April 21, 2025.
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