The Board has determined that additional evidence is needed to determine the severity of the Veteran's pseudofolliculitis barbae, whether he has an additional disability due to VA treatment in 2010, and the nature and etiology of his acquired psychiatric disorder, hip, great toe, cervical spine, hearing loss, and tinnitus disabilities. The Board also requires a new examination for these issues.
The deciding factor: The Board needs more information on the Veteran's pseudofolliculitis barbae, whether he has an additional disability due to VA treatment in 2010, and the nature and etiology of his acquired psychiatric disorder, hip, great toe, cervical spine, hearing loss, and tinnitus disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- pseudofolliculitis barbae, acquired psychiatric disorder (depressive disorder), cervical spine disorder, lumbar spine disorder, right hip disorder, left hip disorder, left knee disorder, right knee disorder, left ankle disorder, right ankle disorder, left great toe disorder, right great toe disorder, left ear hearing loss, right ear hearing loss, tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 22, 2018
- Citation
- 18144003
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 18144003.
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 asthma and remanded claims for insomnia and sleep apnea. Other conditions were denied.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 20 percent disability rating for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy from April 3, 2023 onward, but denied higher ratings prior to that date. Service connection was also granted for alcohol use disorder as secondary to PTSD with traumatic brain injury.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for tinnitus to correct a duty to assist error, as the Veteran's lay statements regarding onset and continuity of symptoms were not adequately considered in the previous decision.
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