The Board has remanded the claim of entitlement to service connection for hypertension as secondary to the service-connected disabilities due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's obesity, caused by his service-connected disabilities, was a substantial factor in causing his hypertension.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner is needed to provide an opinion on whether the Veteran’s obesity, caused by his service-connected disabilities, was a substantial factor in causing his currently diagnosed hypertension.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertension, unspecified depressive disorder, left shoulder hypoesthesia with a history of bursitis, neurological impairment of the right upper extremity, to include radiculopathy, neurological impairment of the left upper extremity, to include radiculopathy, chondromalacia patella of the left knee, degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, tinnitus, migraine headaches, right lower extremity radiculopathy, left lower extremity radiculopathy, cervical spine degenerative disc disease with spondylosis, fracture of the proximal aspect of the middle phalanx of the 4th finger of the left hand, right ankle fracture, seasonal allergic rhinitis and sinusitis status post septoplasty, chronic skin disorder with recurrent tinea cruris
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 13, 2018
- Citation
- 18134752
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 18134752.
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 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 Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
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