The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and initial ratings for various disabilities, including right and left ankle disabilities, cervical and thoracolumbar spine DDD, right and left shoulder arthroscopies, right and left knee DJD, and bilateral plantar fasciotomies. The appeals are being remanded due to incomplete records and the need for additional examinations.
The deciding factor: The claims file is missing relevant medical records and there is a lack of recent examination reports which may affect the current severity assessments of the Veteran's disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- right ankle disability, left ankle disability, cervical spine DDD (DDD), thoracolumbar spine DDD (DDD), right shoulder arthroscopy (right shoulder disability), left shoulder arthroscopy (left shoulder disability), right knee DJD (DJD), left knee DJD (DJD), bilateral plantar fasciotomies
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 24, 2019
- Citation
- 19131886
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including bilateral hearing loss and various musculoskeletal issues, as well as an initial rating in excess of 0 percent for rhinitis. However, the Board granted a 70 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various disabilities to the AOJ for further development and consideration of evidence not previously considered.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection, increased ratings, and earlier effective dates as there was no evidence to support a causal relationship between his current conditions and his active military service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for right ankle, left ankle, back disability, and other conditions as there is no evidence of a current disability related to the Veteran's military service.
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