The Veteran's TDIU claim is remanded due to the need for a combined-effects medical examination report or opinion in order to adjudicate his case.
The deciding factor: The decision requires further development, including obtaining additional medical evidence and scheduling an appropriate medical examination to assess the functional effects of the Veteran’s service-connected disabilities on his ability to perform employment-related tasks.
- Claimed conditions
- major depressive disorder, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, migraines, right shoulder degenerative joint disease with impingement (minor), left elbow strain, minor (with painful forearm supination and pronation), left elbow strain (painful flexion), left knee retropatellar pain syndrome (RPPS), right knee retropatellar pain syndrome (RPPS), lumbago, right thoracolumbar area, chronic strain, lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 13, 2019
- Citation
- 19145833
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.
- Partly granted
The Veteran was granted a 70 percent initial disability rating for PTSD effective December 2, 2021, but the claim for an increased rating in excess of 70 percent was denied. The appeal also included claims for service connection and ratings for various conditions, some of which were granted while others were remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for tinnitus to correct a duty to assist error, as the Veteran's lay statements regarding onset and continuity of symptoms were not adequately considered in the previous decision.
- Dismissed
The claim for an earlier effective date for service connection for major depressive disorder is dismissed as moot because the earliest effective date was granted during the pendency of this appeal.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
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