The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection related to his lumbar spine, cervical spine, right ankle, hearing loss, diabetes, erectile dysfunction, chronic urination (neurogenic bladder), and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral feet require further examination and opinion due to inadequate previous examinations.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the previous VA examinations were insufficient in addressing the Veteran's claims for service connection as they did not adequately consider his consistent reports of pain and symptoms related to these conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine disability, cervical spine disability, right ankle disability, hearing loss, diabetes, erectile dysfunction, chronic urination (neurogenic bladder), peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral feet
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 18, 2018
- Citation
- 18111735
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 18111735.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction was denied as the evidence did not show that he had been diagnosed and manifested to at least a 10 percent disability rating on or prior to May 8, 2001.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the claims of service connection for cervical spine and skin rash disabilities, finding that there is no evidence linking these conditions to active military service.
- Granted
The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus. However, it was determined that the Veteran does not have a current disability of bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus for VA purposes, thus denying both claims.
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