The veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral shin splints and other leg disorders is being remanded due to unclear findings from the VA examination. The examiner needs to provide a clear diagnosis of all current leg disorders, determine their onset during service, and assess whether they are related to conditions present at the end of his military service.
The deciding factor: The examiner's reports are not clear on the veteran's current diagnoses and their relation to service-connected conditions or pre-existing conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Wegener's granulomatosis, corticosteroid use-induced myopathy, mild degenerative changes
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 21, 2003
- Citation
- 0316928
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 0316928.
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 DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that VA did not provide carelessness, negligence, or lack of proper skill in furnishing medical treatment.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for Wegener's granulomatosis, a recurrent kidney disability, and a recurrent bladder disability. The claim for an earlier effective date was denied, as well as the claims for service connection for bilateral pes planus and plantar fasciitis.
- Denied
The Board denied DIC benefits, finding that VA did not cause the Veteran's death through negligence or error. The Veteran died from septic shock due to bowel perforation, which was a known risk of surgery but not caused by VA.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient development and lack of an adequate opinion regarding whether VA treatment was proximately caused by carelessness, negligence, or a similar instance of fault.
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