The Board remands the claims for a VA examination to determine if the Veteran has PTSD and a bilateral hip condition that is related to his service or secondary to his service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: The evidence of record supports the Veteran's claim of combat in Somalia, which allows for a direct service connection for PTSD. The claims file also contains evidence of a current bilateral hip condition; therefore, an examination is necessary to determine if this condition is related to or aggravated by his service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Post-traumatic stress disorder with anxiety attacks, Bilateral hip condition, to include as secondary to service-connected degenerative joint disease of the lumbosacral spine and degenerative disc disease at L5-S1
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 20, 2009
- Citation
- 0906379
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 denied an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the service connection claims for vertigo, dry eye syndrome, and various bilateral conditions due to insufficient evidence.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for GERD and remanded the claims for bilateral ankle, knee, hip, headache, and lower back conditions due to insufficient evidence.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a bilateral hip condition secondary to the Veteran's service-connected ankylosing spondylitis of the lumbar spine, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for further development and to obtain additional evidence.
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