The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for various conditions due to a lack of VA examination opinions regarding their etiology.
The deciding factor: The claims are remanded because the Board cannot make an informed decision without medical opinions on the nature and etiology of the claimed conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- osteomyelitis bilateral upper and lower extremities, Charcot's disease of the bilateral ankles, Charcot's disease of the left foot, Charcot's disease of the right foot, atriial fibrillation, stasis dermatitis, diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities, diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 16, 2019
- Citation
- 19129566
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 service connection for hypothyroidism, diabetes mellitus, type II, and diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for depressive disorder with anxiety disorder and bilateral lower extremity diabetic neuropathy, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, and chronic kidney disease, all secondary to diabetes mellitus. A 30 percent initial rating was granted for stasis dermatitis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board denied an earlier effective date, a higher initial rating for scars with underlying soft tissue damage, and a compensable rating for stasis dermatitis. The IBS claim was remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board denied a rating higher than 10 percent for tinnitus and a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, but granted service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities, diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, and proliferative diabetic retinopathy.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.