The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of her service-connected lumbar spine, right ankle strain, left ankle DJD, and urinary incontinence are not properly before the Board due to a procedural issue. The issues related to these conditions have been remanded for further development.
The deciding factor: The substantive appeal did not list sleep apnea as an issue being appealed, which is why this issue was not considered by the Board.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine, Right ankle strain, DJD of the left ankle, Urinary incontinence
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 7, 2019
- Citation
- 19109767
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,762 · Granted: 24% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19109767.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for cervical spine strain, right wrist sprain, right knee strain, left knee strain, and right ankle strain. The disabilities are all deemed to have begun during the Veteran's active duty.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that there is a need for additional medical examination and opinion to address the Veteran's claim of service connection for a back disability, including DDD of the lumbar spine. The current VA opinions are deemed inadequate due to their failure to consider the Veteran's lay reports of in-service injury and continuous symptomatology since service.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for urinary incontinence and left ankle sprain, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to her military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for various joint and back disabilities due to a lack of VA examinations, which were required by the Veterans Court. The Veteran's assertions include injuries from falls during service and wear and tear from his job as a bridge crewmember.
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