The veteran's claim for nonservice connected pension based on permanent disability is remanded due to the need for additional medical records and examinations, particularly regarding possible psychiatric and cardiovascular disabilities.
The deciding factor: Additional medical records are needed to properly assess the veteran's ability to work given his various diagnosed conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- right rotator cuff tear, right knee degenerative joint disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease, bilateral cataracts, onychomycosis of the toenails
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 20, 2004
- Citation
- 0404874
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,547 · Granted: 20% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0404874.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for right knee degenerative joint disease, including secondary to a service-connected left knee disability, is granted. The condition was not related to military service and no aggravation by the service-connected left knee disability could be established.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for esophageal stricture and gastroesophageal reflux disease due to a failure to obtain a medical opinion regarding the latter condition. The claim will be reconsidered after obtaining such an opinion.
- Granted
The Veteran's Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) based on the need for regular Aid and Attendance is granted as of April 25, 2024.,For diabetes mellitus, a rating in excess of 20 percent is denied.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for gastroesophageal reflux disease and obstructive sleep apnea have been withdrawn, and the claims are dismissed.
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