The Veteran's claims for increased ratings are remanded due to the need for additional examinations and evaluations.
The deciding factor: The VA has determined that further examination is necessary to accurately assess the severity of the Veteran's conditions, as his previous examinations did not fully capture the extent of his disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- maxillary and sphenoid sinusitis, deviated nasal septum due to blunt trauma, thoracic kyphosis, limitation of left long, middle and ring fingers
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 30, 2019
- Citation
- 19175492
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 19175492.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for an earlier effective date for service connection was dismissed as he did not submit a valid Notice of Disagreement or new and material evidence regarding the effective date.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions were denied. The March 2016 rating decision assigned a 10% disability rating for thoracic kyphosis, but did not address the secondary service connection claims.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to inadequate compliance with previous instructions. Specifically, a new VA examination is needed to determine the current severity of the Veteran's thoracic kyphosis.
- Denied
The Veteran's back disability, right lumbar radiculopathy, and left lumbar radiculopathy are all rated at the maximum allowable under current VA regulations. The Board denied further increases in these ratings.
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