The Veteran's right leg disorder is remanded for further development.,The Veteran's heart disorder, hypertension, and various lung disorders are remanded due to potential service connection based on herbicide exposure. The Veteran also has a claim of new and material evidence regarding his lumbar spine disorder.,The Veteran’s hypertension is remanded as it may be related to herbicide exposure or pre-existing conditions.,The Veteran's bilateral lung disorder, throat cancer, liver disorder, and kidney disorder are remanded due to potential service connection based on herbicide exposure. The Veteran also has a claim of new and material evidence regarding his lumbar spine disorder.,The Veteran’s head injury residuals (headaches) are remanded as they may be related to an inservice motor vehicle accident.,Whether the Veteran's posttraumatic stress disorder is service connected is remanded due to potential service connection based on herbicide exposure. The Veteran also has a claim of new and material evidence regarding his lumbar spine disorder.
The deciding factor: The right leg issue is inextricably intertwined with the issue of whether new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen a claim of entitlement to service connection for a lumbar spine disorder.,Service treatment records show the Veteran had an inservice heart condition, presumed due to herbicide exposure. The Veteran also contends his current heart issues are related to this inservice condition.,The National Academy of Sciences found limited or suggestive evidence of an association between hypertension and herbicide exposure. Therefore, a VA opinion is needed regarding whether it is as likely as not that the Veteran's hypertension is due to his presumed herbicide exposure.,Service treatment records show the Veteran had various inservice lung conditions, including throat cancer and liver disorder. The Veteran also contends these are related to herbicide exposure. A VA opinion is needed regarding direct service connection for these disorders.,The Veteran reported an inservice motor vehicle accident resulting in a head injury. He contends his current headaches are related to this incident. Service treatment records show he had complaints of recurrent headaches since the accident, and a diagnosis of hysterical conversion reaction was made at that time.,VA denied service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder based on herbicide exposure. The Veteran disagrees with this decision and has submitted new evidence suggesting it may be related to an inservice motor vehicle accident.
- Claimed conditions
- right leg disorder, heart disorder, hypertension, bilateral lung disorder, throat cancer, liver disorder, bilateral kidney disorder, bladder disorder, residuals of a head injury (headaches), posttraumatic stress disorder
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 5, 2019
- Citation
- 19115991
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 19115991.
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 granted an effective date of October 21, 2021, for the grant of service connection for hypertension.
- Dismissed
The appeal for a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss, service connection for right ear hearing loss, and bilateral vision condition was dismissed. Service connection for hypertension, congestive heart failure, and coronary artery disease was denied.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
- 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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