The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient rationale in the June 2019 VA opinions. The AOJ is instructed to obtain an addendum opinion from a qualified individual to address whether the Veteran's left and right shoulder, and bilateral elbow conditions are related to his military service, specifically including exposure to hazardous materials while serving in the Southwest Asia theater of operations.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the June 2019 VA opinions were inadequate as they did not provide a sufficient rationale for their conclusions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's claimed conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- left shoulder strain, right shoulder degenerative joint disease (DJD), bilateral elbows, degenerative joint disease (DJD)
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 26, 2026
- Citation
- A26027754
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 A26027754.
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.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's hypertension, left shoulder strain, and right shoulder disability are all granted as service-connected.,The Veteran is also remanded for a rating in excess of 10 percent for degenerative arthritis of the spine and for service connection for sleep apnea.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinions and a need for additional examination.
- Denied
The Veteran's initial 10% disability rating for left shoulder strain was upheld as there was no clear and unmistakable error in the September 2010 Rating Decision.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left shoulder, right shoulder, and low back disabilities due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to his active military service.
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