The Board has determined that the Veteran's claim for service connection for peripheral vascular disease of the bilateral lower extremities is remanded due to inadequate medical opinions and a need for further development, including obtaining an addendum opinion regarding whether service-connected pes planus aggravates the Veteran's peripheral vascular disease.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the VA examination report was inadequate as it did not address the second element of secondary service connection (aggravation) and provided no rationale for its opinion on proximate cause. The examiner also did not consider whether the Veteran’s peripheral vascular disease is related to his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- Peripheral vascular disease of the bilateral lower extremities
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 30, 2019
- Citation
- 19158886
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 19158886.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for prostate cancer and peripheral vascular disease of the bilateral lower extremities due to inadequate examination opinions. The effective dates for the grants of service connection are not addressed as this is a remand.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded several claims due to the Veteran's failure to report for scheduled VA examinations and his hospitalization. The issues include rating ratings, service connection, and other disability evaluations.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that his service-connected peripheral neuropathy and peripheral vascular disease of the bilateral lower extremities caused his obesity, which in turn caused his obstructive sleep apnea.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for peripheral vascular disease of the bilateral lower extremities, finding that there was no evidence linking the condition to service. The Veteran's records did not indicate any evidence of PVD during or soon after his service.
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