The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and effective dates are being remanded due to the need to obtain additional medical records.
The deciding factor: Additional medical records are required to properly assess the severity of the Veteran's conditions and determine appropriate disability ratings and effective dates.
- Claimed conditions
- spinocerebellar degeneration, pharynx/larynx disability, right lower extremity ataxia and dysmetria, left lower extremity ataxia and dysmetria
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 17, 2019
- Citation
- 19129534
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,455 · Granted: 23% (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 19129534.
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 determined that the service member's spinocerebellar degeneration and ataxia began during his active duty, and he is unable to take care of himself without regular assistance. Therefore, service connection for these conditions is granted, and special monthly compensation based on need for aid and attendance is also granted.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for spinocerebellar degeneration, peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities, and peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities. The claims were previously denied in November 1998 without providing proper notice.
- Granted
The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection due to new and material evidence. The neurological disorder, diagnosed as multiple sclerosis or spinocerebellar degeneration, is presumed to have been incurred during active service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a VA examination and additional development of records, including private medical records from Miami Valley Hospital and Chillicothe VAMC. The appellant is seeking service connection for spinocerebellar degeneration with peripheral neuropathy, which he claims is related to herbicide exposure in Vietnam.
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