The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for peripheral neuropathy of both lower extremities due to a lack of medical records documenting the condition during or shortly after service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner’s opinion is based solely on the absence of documented treatment, and an addendum opinion is required to consider the Veteran's lay statements regarding his symptoms in service.
- Claimed conditions
- Peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity, Peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 3, 2019
- Citation
- 19176285
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 is granted special monthly compensation (SMC) at the R(1) rate due to his need for regular aid and attendance.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for peripheral neuropathy of both lower extremities to obtain a VA medical opinion regarding whether the current condition is caused or aggravated by the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus type II.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for higher initial ratings for peripheral neuropathy of both lower extremities, finding that his symptoms did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for peripheral neuropathy of both upper and lower extremities, to include as due to herbicide agent exposure, for compliance with a Court order regarding the provision of an examiner's curriculum vitae.
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