The veteran is seeking service connection for various conditions, including degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, diverticulosis, a laceration of the left ring finger, skin disorders of the feet, and lipomas. The case has been remanded to obtain VA examinations to determine if these conditions are related to his military service.
The deciding factor: The case was remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding the relationship between the veteran's current disabilities and his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, diverticulosis, residuals of a laceration of the left ring finger, a skin disorder of the feet, lipomas of the right arm and right abdomen
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 9, 2004
- Citation
- 0406237
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,177 · Granted: 24% (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 0406237.
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 hypertension, left knee patellofemoral syndrome, and right knee patellofemoral syndrome have been granted service connection as secondary to his service-connected disabilities. The lumbar spine disability has also been granted but the effective date is not specified.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty to assist error, and will need to obtain an addendum medical opinion regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's diverticulosis and colon tumor.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions, including adjustment disorder, benign skin lesions, actinic keratosis, poikiloderma, porokeratosis, Parkinson's disease, benign prostatic hypertrophy, hypertension, increased urinary frequency, diverticulosis, duodenal ulcer, and bilateral cataracts are all granted due to exposure to herbicide agents, mustard gas, and ionizing radiation during service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims due to errors in the initial decision, including inadequate medical opinions and failure to consider all theories of entitlement.
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