The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left shoulder disabilities due to insufficient evidence in the record.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner's opinions were based solely on the absence of documentation in the service treatment records, which is inadequate as it does not consider the Veteran's lay statements about injuries during service.
- Claimed conditions
- right rotator cuff tendonitis, left rotator cuff tendonitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 8, 2026
- Citation
- A26032139
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 A26032139.
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 Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to errors in obtaining relevant records, including service treatment records and VA hospital records. The Veteran's current back and neck disabilities are being examined by a VA examiner to determine if they are related to her military service.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as secondary to his service-connected conditions, including gastroesophageal reflux disease, anxiety disorder, right rotator cuff tendonitis, chronic bilateral reoccurring anterior uveitis, tinnitus, right knee patellofemoral syndrome, dermatofibroma, and erectile dysfunction.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for rhinitis and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) on a presumptive basis due to exposure to fine particulate matter during active service in Southwest Asia. The Board also granted increased ratings of 30 percent, and no higher, for headaches, thoracolumbar spine strain, right rotator cuff tendonitis, and left rotator cuff tendonitis from December 13, 2021.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the Veteran's claims for a more contemporaneous examination to determine the current severity of his service-connected conditions.
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