The Veteran's claim for service connection for a right shoulder disability was denied. The claims for acquired psychiatric disorder and residuals of a left hand injury were remanded due to the need for additional medical examination.
The deciding factor: There is no persuasive evidence linking the current right shoulder condition to service, including prior surgeries and osteoarthritis diagnoses.
- Claimed conditions
- Residuals of a right shoulder disability, Acquired psychiatric disorder (to include PTSD, anxiety, and depression), Residuals of a left hand injury
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- April 21, 2026
- Citation
- A26037237
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation A26037237.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board denied a rating in excess of 30 percent for the Veteran's right shoulder disability but granted service connection for radiculopathy of the right upper extremity, which was related to his active service.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's current left hand and lower back conditions are not related to his active service, and therefore denied both claims.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran did not sustain any injuries to his back or left hand during service, nor is there evidence of a link between these conditions and service.,There was no injury to the Veteran's left hand in service. The Board found that any claimed left hand disorder is not related to service.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied increased evaluations for various service-connected conditions, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for higher ratings under either version of the applicable rating criteria.
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