The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions including lumbar and cervical spine disabilities, a heart condition, hypertension, colon cancer, and scar tissue surgery residuals. The VA is instructed to obtain information from SSA regarding any disability benefits the Veteran may have received.
The deciding factor: The VA needs to determine if the Veteran has ever been in receipt of Social Security Administration (SSA) disability benefits and request their complete file for review.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine disability, cervical spine disability, heart condition (including valvular heart disease, supraventricular arrhythmia, and heart murmur), hypertension, colon cancer, scar tissue surgery residuals
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 31, 2018
- Citation
- 18122839
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 18122839.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to conflicting opinions regarding service connection for peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and skin disabilities related to herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and increased rating for anxiety disorder have been denied. The Board found that there is no evidence of a current disability meeting the criteria for hypertension, and the Veteran's anxiety disorder does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
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