The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining service treatment records and determining the exact dates of his active duty. The claims for right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome, right foot metatarsalgia, cervical spine disability, chronic myositis of the paracervical spine muscles, left shoulder disability, left arm disability, lumbar spine disability, chronic myositis of the paralumbar spine muscles, sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus are remanded. The claim for acquired psychiatric disability (to include PTSD) is also remanded.
The deciding factor: The appeal involves multiple service connection claims that require additional development to clarify the Veteran's active duty periods and obtain relevant medical records.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Knee Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome, Right Foot Metatarsalgia, Cervical Spine Disability, Chronic Myositis of the Paracervical Spine Muscles, Left Shoulder Disability, Left Arm Disability, Lumbar Spine Disability, Chronic Myositis of the Paralumbar Spine Muscles, Sleep Apnea, Bilateral Hearing Loss, Tinnitus, Acquired Psychiatric Disability (to include PTSD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 27, 2018
- Citation
- 18122181
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 18122181.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected. The claims for alcohol abuse and psychiatric disorder are remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The issue remains under direct service connection theory.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for sleep apnea, finding that the evidence did not support a link between the condition and service.
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