The Veteran's appeal is remanded for a VA examination to determine the etiology of her diagnosed Chiari I Malformation, including whether it is congenital or acquired and if so, whether it was caused by an in-service motor vehicle accident. The Veteran also needs a new rating assigned based on this determination.
The deciding factor: The January 2009 VA examination report did not provide sufficient rationale for its opinion regarding the etiology of the Chiari I Malformation and failed to distinguish between congenital diseases and acquired conditions as required by VA law.
- Claimed conditions
- Chiari I Malformation
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 24, 2015
- Citation
- 1526744
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 1526744.
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.
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