The Board has determined that additional examinations and opinions are needed to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claims for service connection due to the lack of consideration of relevant medical history and lay statements.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners have not adequately considered the Veteran's competent lay reports of symptoms since the 1980s, including his wife's testimony regarding her observations of his physical limitations over time. The VA examiners also failed to consider the private physician's opinions which provided a nexus between current disabilities and service.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Knee Disorder, Cervical Spine Disorder, Urinary/Bladder Disorder (including BPH and Urinary Incontinence), Erectile Dysfunction
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 9, 2017
- Citation
- 1715582
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 1715582.
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 Board has determined that the Veteran's erectile dysfunction is secondary to his service-connected major depressive disorder, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim of service connection for erectile dysfunction due to insufficient medical evidence and a need for a VA examination.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's right knee disorder is related to his military service and grants entitlement to service connection.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for Type II Diabetes Mellitus, Bilateral Lower Extremity Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy (Sciatic Nerve), Erectile Dysfunction, and Bladder Cancer in remission. Effective dates have been set for these awards as of July 14, 2004. The Veteran's claim for higher initial disability ratings and earlier effective dates are being remanded.
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