The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining SSA records, in-patient hospitalization records from Luke Air Force Base and Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, and any outstanding VA treatment records. A VA examination is also needed to assess the severity of his service-connected and nonservice-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: The appeal contains claims for reopening service connection for various conditions and seeking a compensable rating for tonsillitis and special monthly pension benefits. The Veteran's service treatment records are incomplete, and there are no in-patient hospitalization records from Luke Air Force Base and Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. Additionally, the Veteran has not been examined by VA to assess his current disability status.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine disorder, Valley Fever (coccidioidomycosis), eye disorder
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 2, 2017
- Citation
- 1702898
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 1702898.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various hip and lower extremity disorders, including as secondary to a lumbar spine disorder. The case is being returned to the AOJ for further action.
- 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.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for treatment purposes only under Chapter 17 for various conditions, including cervical spine condition, right upper extremity nerve condition, left upper extremity nerve condition, headache condition, right wrist condition, left wrist condition, right elbow condition, left elbow condition, right shoulder condition, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), bilateral pes planus, right ankle disorder, left ankle disorder, and left knee disorder.
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