The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed disabilities, including chronic myositis of the paralumbar spine muscles, cervical spine with pain radiating to the lower extremities, sleep apnea, hypertension, cardiac arrhythmia, diabetes mellitus type II, subdural hematomas, headaches, diabetic peripheral neuropathy, and acquired psychiatric disorders.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that additional development is needed as there are conflicting medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's diagnosed disabilities and his claimed conditions. The Veteran should be provided with VA examinations to assess the nature and etiology of these diagnosed disorders.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic myositis of the paralumbar spine muscles, chronic myositis of the cervical spine with pain radiating to the lower extremities, sleep apnea, hypertensive cardiovascular disease, cardiac arrhythmia, diabetes mellitus, type II, left fronto-temporoparietal subdural hematoma, right frontoparietal subdural hematoma, headaches, diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the left upper extremity, diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the right upper extremity, diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity, diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 29, 2018
- Citation
- 18145690
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 18145690.
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 remands the claim for a direct service connection opinion and an adequate secondary service connection aggravation opinion.
- Partly granted
The Veteran was granted a 70 percent initial disability rating for PTSD effective December 2, 2021, but the claim for an increased rating in excess of 70 percent was denied. The appeal also included claims for service connection and ratings for various conditions, some of which were granted while others were remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for asthma and remanded claims for insomnia and sleep apnea. Other conditions were denied.
- 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.
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