The appeal is being remanded for additional development due to the need for proper VCAA notification and compliance with VA's duty to assist.
The deciding factor: The decision was not explicitly about service connection, but rather about initial evaluations and denials of claims. The appeal needs to be addressed again as per the VCAA requirements.
- Claimed conditions
- scar on the left breast, low back pain, residuals of thyroid cancer, status-post resection of thyroid, degenerative joint disease of the right knee, cervical spondylosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 24, 2005
- Citation
- 0501612
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 0501612.
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.
- Dismissed
The appeals for service connection and initial ratings were dismissed due to an untimely Notice of Disagreement (NOD) being filed more than one year after the November 2022 rating decision.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for a lumbar spine disability was dismissed due to the untimely filing of the Notice of Disagreement.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for multiple conditions, including bilateral foot disability, knee disability, ankle disability, cervical degenerative disc disease, spondylosis, and cervicalgia, secondary to a service-connected lumbar strain, as well as GERD. The claims of readjudication were also granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for increased ratings of bilateral knee and ankle disabilities due to incomplete VA examinations.
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