The Board has decided that the Veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions, including cervical spine disorder, bilateral hip and ankle disorders, bilateral foot disorders, vertigo, urticaria, headaches, and TMJ, are remanded due to lack of recent medical records and need for further examination.
The deciding factor: The Board found insufficient evidence in the record regarding the Veteran's current diagnoses and their relationship to service. The decision also noted that VA examinations were needed to determine whether her conditions began during or are otherwise related to her military service.
- Claimed conditions
- cervical spine disorder (claimed as neck pain), bilateral hip disorders (claimed as bilateral hip pain), bilateral ankle disorders (claimed as bilateral ankle pain), bilateral foot disorder, to include bilateral plantar fasciitis and a disorder of the left fifth toe, vertigo, urticaria, headaches, temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJ)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 26, 2018
- Citation
- 18160398
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 18160398.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for vertigo and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to insufficient evidence linking his current condition to active service or any incident of service.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a restoration of the separate 10 percent rating for vertigo, an earlier effective date for service connection for vertigo and migraines, and a 30 percent rating for hypothyroidism with heart murmur. The decision also denied an earlier effective date for hypertension and remanded claims for obesity, obstructive sleep apnea, and individual unemployability.
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