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Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)

The veteran's claims for a rating in excess of 10 percent for hypertension, a compensable rating for degenerative joint disease of the left great toe, and service connection for gout to bilateral great toes are currently on appeal. The Board has determined that further evidentiary development is necessary.

The deciding factor: The veteran's claims require clarification regarding his diagnoses and treatment records, as well as a determination of whether he meets the criteria for service connection based on exposure or other factors not specified in the decision.

Claimed conditions
hypertension, degenerative joint disease of the left great toe, gout to bilateral great toes
How they argued it
Not specified
Exposure basis
None
Rating
Not verified here — check the original decision
Decision date
July 2, 2004
Citation
0417870

Veterans Law Judge

JAMES L. MARCH

Decisions by this judge: 2,776 · Granted: 24% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0417870.

What this means for you

A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.

What you can do next

Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).

Related decisions

Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.

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