The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete development and the need for additional medical opinions regarding service connection claims.
The deciding factor: The VA failed to obtain a medical opinion as to the etiology of the veteran's claimed bilateral shoulder and right hand disabilities, as required by 38 U.S.C.A. § 5103A(d).
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral shoulder condition, bilateral knee condition, bilateral ankle condition, hearing loss, jaw disorder, residuals of injury to the third distal finger, right hand, shin splints, chronic sinus infection
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 16, 2002
- Citation
- 0218164
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 0218164.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for special monthly compensation based on loss of use of his left foot, as there was no evidence showing that the service-connected conditions resulted in functional limitation equal to that of amputation of the left foot with prosthesis.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 50 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and denied increased ratings for right shoulder impingement syndrome, hearing loss, painful scar, patellofemoral pain syndromes of the knees, and other conditions.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for a left wrist condition was dismissed due to concurrent election of higher-level review. The claims for an initial compensable rating for bilateral pes planus, and for service connection for hearing loss, neck strain, and dermatitis were denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for bilateral knee and lumbar spine conditions due to inadequate VA opinions.
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