The veteran's claims for increased ratings on his service-connected conditions are being remanded to allow for additional development of the medical evidence.
The deciding factor: Additional VA examinations and records are needed to properly evaluate the severity of the veteran's service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Scar of the left eardrum, Degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine (formerly rated as traumatic arthritis), Flat feet
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 20, 2003
- Citation
- 0332349
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 0332349.
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 Board granted service connection for a lower back condition and a gastrointestinal condition, but denied an earlier effective date and higher rating for tinnitus. The claims for other conditions were either reopened or remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board readjudicated the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, a respiratory disability, and a skin disability based on new and relevant evidence. The claims for an acquired psychiatric disability, sleep impairment, hypertension, impaired vision, residual disability from vasectomy, and a compensable rating for scars were denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for flat feet, right ear hearing loss, left ear hearing loss, and tinnitus.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of Total Disability Individual Unemployability (TDIU) is being remanded due to new evidence submitted after the initial denial in February 2010. The Board finds that the Veteran met the schedular criteria for TDIU as of January 21, 2014, but did not meet it prior to that date.
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