The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for headaches and low back disability due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology. The Veteran is also required to provide VA with any outstanding treatment records related to his head injury.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the current medical opinions are inadequate as they do not address the specific exposure basis or provide a clear opinion on whether the conditions are related to service, and the Veteran has provided evidence of in-service injuries. The remand is necessary for further examination and opinion regarding these issues.
- Claimed conditions
- headaches, traumatic brain injury (TBI), low back disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 1, 2019
- Citation
- 19175953
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 Board granted service connection for left knee strain, right knee strain, right wrist strain, and TBI. The Veteran's PTSD rating was remanded for further development.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for headaches and increased ratings for left shoulder rotator cuff tear, right shoulder rotator cuff tear, hypertension, and left and right leg restless leg syndrome. The Board denied a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and an initial rating in excess of 70 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various disabilities to the AOJ for further development and consideration of evidence not previously considered.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an increased initial disability evaluation of headaches due to an inadequate VA examination.
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