The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for further development and consideration, including scheduling VA examinations to address his hip and ankle pain, as well as sleep and fatigue symptoms. The claims are being returned to the agency of original jurisdiction (AOJ) for readjudication.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the May 2012 informal claim constituted a request to reopen a previously denied claim of entitlement to service connection for joint pain and muscle soreness as part of a qualifying illness under 38 C.F.R. § 3.317, but did not address whether the Veteran's reports of hip and ankle pain qualify to establish the existence of a current disability for service connection purposes.
- Claimed conditions
- Hip Disorder, Left Ankle Disorder, Right Ankle Disorder, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), Sleep Apnea, Joint Pain and Muscle Soreness
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 26, 2019
- Citation
- 19165915
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 19165915.
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 disabilities and denied higher ratings for several service-connected conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including PTSD, IBS, cardiac arrhythmia, CFS, chronic headaches, chronic sinusitis, dyspnea, and fibromyalgia. The claim for bilateral pes planus was remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an increased initial evaluation of 70 percent for PTSD but denied evaluations in excess of 10% for tension headaches and in excess of 30% for IBS, and denied service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome. The claims for additional service connections were remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board denied an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for service-connected obstructive sleep apnea and granted service connection for lumbar discogenic pain with right radiculopathy, left thumb injury residuals, bilateral hand tremors, chronic rhinitis (presumptively), and chronic sinusitis.,The Veteran's lumbar discogenic pain with right radiculopathy is related to an in-service injury, event, or disease.
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