The Veteran's strokes and cricopharyngeal muscle spasm with dysphagia are remanded for further examination to determine their etiology. The neuropathy of the face and extremities is also remanded, as it may be related to his service-connected CAD.
The deciding factor: Further medical evaluation is needed to clarify the relationship between the Veteran's conditions and his service-connected condition (CAD).
- Claimed conditions
- strokes, cricopharyngeal muscle spasm with dysphagia (claimed as throat/pain/breathing/swallowing), neuropathy of the face, neuropathy of the left upper extremity, neuropathy of the right upper extremity, neuropathy of the left lower extremity, neuropathy of the right lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 3, 2019
- Citation
- 19142483
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 various conditions, including left and right eye dry eyes, cataracts of the left and right eyes, neuropathy of the left lower extremity, radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, left renal arteriovenous malformation, aneurysm, pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB), degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the lumbar spine, recurrent subluxation of the left knee prior to May 13, 2020, left total knee replacement, disability rating in excess of 60 percent from September 1, 2021, forward for left total knee replacement, DJD of the right knee, right knee instability, burns of the bilateral ankles, linear scar of the left knee, post-surgical tender scars of the left knee, and a total disability rating due to unemployability (TDIU) based upon service-connected disabilities prior to June 14, 2019.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, circulation problems in the legs, and strokes as they were not related to his active military service or service-connected disabilities.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for hyperthyroidism as secondary to in-service exposure to herbicide agents, and for neuropathy of the right and left lower extremities and right eye exophthalmos and diplopia as secondary to service-connected hypothyroidism.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for neuropathy of all four extremities due to a need for additional development, including verification of claimed nerve agent exposure and obtaining an updated medical opinion.
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