The Veteran's claim for service connection for gout, to include as secondary to sleep apnea, has been reopened. The issue of a rating in excess of 0 percent for the left ring finger disability and a separate 10 percent rating for symptoms analogous to amputation have also been remanded.,Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability remains denied.
The deciding factor: The evidence received since the December 2009 denial relates to unestablished facts necessary to substantiate the claim of entitlement to service connection for gout, to include as secondary to sleep apnea, and raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating it.,No new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- an acquired psychiatric disability, gout
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 22, 2019
- Citation
- 19165184
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,913 · Granted: 30% (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 19165184.
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 Veteran's gout claim for additional development, including obtaining an adequate VA examination and ensuring all relevant records are obtained. The TDIU claim is also being remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that the Veteran meets the basic medical eligibility criteria for PCAFC benefits due to his need for personal care services based on symptoms or residuals of neurological or other impairment or injury. However, further clinical evaluation is needed to determine if participation in the program is in the Veteran's best interest.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for gout and bilateral foot conditions due to insufficient evidence. The Veteran's representative requested an informal conference, but it did not take place before the April 2021 rating decision was issued.
- Denied
The Veteran's application to revise a November 2001 rating decision, which assigned an initial 30 percent rating for an acquired psychiatric disability due to service connection on the merits, is denied as there is no clear and unmistakable error in the decision.
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