The Veteran's bilateral pes planus is granted as service-connected.,Increased ratings are required for cervical spine DJD, right shoulder arthritis, sarcoidosis, and bilateral pinguecula.,Service connection is denied for fibromyalgia, polyarthritis (claimed as polyarthritis), chronic fatigue syndrome, respiratory disability, and sleep disability. Additional examinations are needed to determine the etiology of these conditions.,The Veteran's knee scars, right elbow disability, left great toe disability, low back disability, bilateral hip disability, bilateral wrist disability, and bilateral ankle disability are remanded for further examination.
The deciding factor: Service connection is granted as there is evidence of a current disability (bilateral pes planus) that had its onset during active service.,Increased ratings are required due to worsening symptoms since the last VA examinations.,Additional examinations are needed to determine whether the Veteran's conditions can be considered symptoms of an unexplained chronic multisymptom illness or if they have other etiologies.,Further examination is necessary to determine the severity and etiology of the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral pes planus, degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the cervical spine, acromioclavicular arthritis of the right shoulder, sarcoidosis, bilateral pinguecula, fibromyalgia, right elbow disability, left great toe disability, low back disability, bilateral hip disability, bilateral wrist disability, bilateral ankle disability
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 22, 2019
- Citation
- 19165139
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,451 · Granted: 22% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19165139.
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 Veteran's claim for service connection for migraines was reopened due to new evidence. Service connection is granted for painful scars, but the rating assigned remains at 10 percent. The claims for fibromyalgia and bilateral shoulder disability are denied.
- Partly granted
The Board has not made a final determination on the claims of service connection for inguinal hernia, PTSD, joint pain, fibromyalgia, left knee disability, right knee disability, tinnitus, chronic fatigue syndrome, respiratory disability, sleep disorder, IBS, and headaches. The claims are remanded to obtain additional evidence and determine if these conditions are related to service.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for hypertension, fibromyalgia, and vertigo. The decision found that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his military service or a service-connected disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for a neurological examination to determine if any diagnosed radiculopathy or other neurological disability affecting the lower extremities was caused or aggravated by service-connected conditions.
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