The Veteran's kidney cysts are related to his military service and specifically Gulf War Syndrome.,The Veteran's right knee disability is related to service or a service-connected foot condition.,The Veteran's left elbow disability (tendonitis) is related to service.,The Veteran's cervical spine disability is related to service.,The Veteran's right ankle disability is related to service and his service-connected feet.,The Veteran's lung disability is not likely due to environmental exposure in Southwest Asia, but may be related to Gulf War Syndrome or undiagnosed illness.,The Veteran's headaches are of unknown etiology, possibly related to chemical exposure in service.,The Veteran's disability of the left upper extremity (intermittent numbness) is related to a military injury and/or his service-connected feet.,The Veteran's disability of the right upper extremity (intermittent numbness) is related to a military injury and/or his service-connected feet.
The deciding factor: The Veteran has provided evidence suggesting that his kidney cysts are related to Gulf War Syndrome, which may be considered an in-service event or disease.,The Veteran's right knee disability is linked to both the initial injury during service and a later service-connected foot condition. The examiner should consider whether the current disability can be attributed to either source.,The Veteran has provided evidence suggesting that his left elbow tendonitis was related to service, including an injury in 1988. The examiner should assess if this is supported by medical evidence.,The Veteran's cervical spine disability may be linked to a military injury and/or degenerative changes over time. The examiner should consider the nature of these changes and their relation to service.,The Veteran has provided evidence suggesting that his right ankle disability was related to both an initial injury in service and a later service-connected foot condition. The examiner should assess if this is supported by medical evidence.,The Veteran's lung disability may be linked to Gulf War Syndrome or undiagnosed illness, but the examiner should consider whether it can also be attributed to environmental exposure in Southwest Asia.,The Veteran has provided evidence suggesting that his headaches are related to chemical exposure in service. The examiner should assess if this is supported by medical evidence.,The Veteran's disability of the left upper extremity (intermittent numbness) may be linked to a military injury and/or his service-connected feet, including tendonitis from 1988. The examiner should consider whether these factors are relevant.,The Veteran's disability of the right upper extremity (intermittent numbness) may be linked to a military injury and/or his service-connected feet, including tendonitis from 1988. The examiner should consider whether these factors are relevant.
- Claimed conditions
- kidney cysts, right knee disability (chondromalacia), left elbow disability (tendonitis), cervical spine disability, right ankle disability, lung disability (calcified granulomas), headaches, disability of the left upper extremity (intermittent numbness of arm), disability of the right upper extremity (intermittent numbness of arm)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 27, 2018
- Citation
- 18122193
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 18122193.
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 headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete development of records and will provide a supplemental statement of the case if necessary.
- Partly granted
The Board has not made a final determination on the claims of service connection for inguinal hernia, PTSD, joint pain, fibromyalgia, left knee disability, right knee disability, tinnitus, chronic fatigue syndrome, respiratory disability, sleep disorder, IBS, and headaches. The claims are remanded to obtain additional evidence and determine if these conditions are related to service.
- 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.
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