The Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of frostbite in the lower extremities is being remanded due to a lack of examination and insufficient medical evidence on file. The examiner will be asked to determine if any current disability may be related to service, specifically exposure to cold weather in Korea.
The deciding factor: There are no VA examinations or medical records linking the Veteran's current frostbite residuals to his service, despite his reported exposure to extreme cold temperatures during service.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of frostbite, lower extremities
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 24, 2016
- Citation
- 1641398
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 1641398.
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 tinnitus is found to be related to his active service.,There is no evidence of cardiovascular disability in service or otherwise linked to service. The Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of cardiovascular disability.,The Veteran does not have cold injury residuals to the upper extremities, lower extremities, or psychiatric disability (PTSD and anxiety disorder).,The Veteran's diagnosed psychiatric disability did not originate in service and is not otherwise etiologically related to service. The Veteran does not have PTSD.,There is no evidence of stomach disorder in service or a current diagnosis of stomach disorder. The Veteran's IBS is not secondary to service-connected ankylostomiasis.,The Veteran's ankylostomiasis has been inactive and thus not resulting in any current manifestations of symptoms or impairment during the period of the appeal.
- Granted
The Board finds that the veteran has current disabilities of residuals of frostbite in both upper and lower extremities, which were incurred during service. Service connection is granted for these conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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