The Board has decided to remand the case due to concerns about the adequacy of a previous VA opinion regarding whether the Veteran's MRSA was caused by or became worse as a result of VA treatment. The case will be returned for an addendum opinion.
The deciding factor: The decision is based on concerns raised by the Veteran regarding inconsistencies in a previous VA medical opinion and the need to address these inconsistencies with additional evidence.
- Claimed conditions
- methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 17, 2018
- Citation
- 18103027
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 18103027.
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 service connection claims for diabetes mellitus and MRSA are granted, with diabetes mellitus being granted under the PACT Act due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents in Cambodia. The claim for MRSA is remanded for further examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for blindness in the right eye, periorbital cellulitis and abscess, MRSA, and respiratory acidosis. The conditions are diseases that first manifested during a period of inactive duty for training (INACDUTRA) and were not as a result of an injury.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not cause or contribute to his death from multi-lobular pneumonia, which was caused by MRSA and COPD. The Board found that the Veteran's COPD and smoking were more likely the primary causes of his death.
- 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.
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