The Veteran's headaches, facial numbness, injured vocal cords with loss of/impaired speech, and left upper extremity numbness to include hand and fingers numbness are not considered additional disabilities due to the February 2013 parathyroid surgery.,A respiratory disability is suspected but not confirmed. A medical opinion is needed to determine if a respiratory disability exists and whether it was caused by carelessness, negligence, lack of proper skill, error in judgment, or similar instance of fault on VA's part.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence does not support the Veteran having additional disabilities due to the February 2013 parathyroid surgery.,A respiratory disability is suspected but not confirmed. A medical opinion is needed to determine if a respiratory disability exists and whether it was caused by carelessness, negligence, lack of proper skill, error in judgment, or similar instance of fault on VA's part.
- Claimed conditions
- headaches, facial numbness, injured vocal cords with loss of/impaired speech, left upper extremity numbness to include hand and fingers numbness
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 19, 2018
- Citation
- 18143626
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 18143626.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for headaches and increased ratings for left shoulder rotator cuff tear, right shoulder rotator cuff tear, hypertension, and left and right leg restless leg syndrome. The Board denied a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and an initial rating in excess of 70 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder.
- Dismissed
The appeals for restoration of ratings and for a higher disability rating were dismissed as the April 2025 rating decision did not make final decisions on these issues.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an increased initial disability evaluation of headaches due to an inadequate VA examination.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for multiple disabilities, including cervical spine and thoracolumbar spine disabilities, radiculopathies, a bladder disability, headaches, a left knee disability, an acquired psychiatric disorder, and bilateral conjunctivitis. The Board also granted entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disability.
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