The claims for service connection for various conditions, including folliculitis, musculoskeletal strain, left ulnar nerve neuropathy, facial congestion and breathing difficulties, sperm abnormalities, right shoulder disorder, and right knee disorder are being remanded for additional medical examination and opinion.
The deciding factor: The adequacy of the March 2003 VA examination report was questioned due to its speculative nature, and additional testing is necessary for some claims.
- Claimed conditions
- folliculitis to include characterization of the claim as a skin disease due to an undiagnosed illness, musculoskeletal strain of the chest wall and legs to include characterization of the claim as multiple joint pain due to an undiagnosed illness, left ulnar nerve neuropathy to include characterization of the claim as numbness of the hands due to an undiagnosed illness, facial congestion and breathing difficulties due to an undiagnosed illness, sperm abnormalities due to undiagnosed illness, right shoulder disorder, right knee disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 23, 2009
- Citation
- 0906597
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 362 · 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 0906597.
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 service connection claims for lumbosacral strain, asthma, melasma and hydradenitis, hypertension, an acquired psychiatric disorder (claimed as depression, anxiety, and stress), left shoulder disorder, right shoulder disorder, left knee disorder, a left foot disorder, and IBS have been granted. The remaining issues are remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to errors in obtaining relevant medical records and authorization for private treatment providers. The issues include heart disorder, OSA, sinusitis, lumbar spine disorder, and right knee disorder all related to Agent Orange exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty-to-assist error, and will need an opinion regarding whether the Veteran's right knee disorder is related to his parachute jumps during service.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's request to readjudicate his claims for service connection for a lumbar spine disorder and obstructive sleep apnea, but denied his claim for right knee disorder. The Board also remanded the cases of left leg disorder and lumbar spine disorder.
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