The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding his gout of the left great toe and its relationship to his service-connected hypertension.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not provide an opinion on whether the gout was aggravated by the Maxzide used to treat the Veteran's hypertension, which is a primary argument in his claim.
- Claimed conditions
- left great toe gout
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- September 16, 2015
- Citation
- 1539698
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 1539698.
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.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for a left shoulder disorder, sinusitis, and a nerve disorder other than service-connected bilateral upper extremity radiculopathy. However, it granted an initial 20 percent rating for left great toe gout and a 50 percent rating for migraines.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal includes multiple issues related to his service-connected psychiatric disorder, left knee and right knee disabilities, gout, stroke, erectile dysfunction, hypertension, actinic keratosis, bilateral knee scars, ear and forearm scars, sleep apnea, and TDIU. The Board has determined that additional VA treatment records need to be considered before a decision can be made.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations for various knee and back conditions have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a rating in excess of 10 percent for any of these conditions.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.
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