The Veteran's claims for higher ratings and service connection are remanded due to the need for additional VA examinations to assess the current severity of his psychiatric and lumbar spine disabilities, as well as the etiology of his onychomycosis and left toe injury.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that further examination is necessary to determine the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected conditions and to establish whether any new or worsening symptoms are related to service.
- Claimed conditions
- adjustment disorder, lumbar sprain, onychomycosis, residuals of trauma to left great toe
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19177138
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,196 · Granted: 17% (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 19177138.
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 Veteran's claim for an initial compensable disability rating for onychomycosis was denied as the condition did not require treatment and covered less than 5% of his body. The Board also remanded issues regarding service connection for left ear hearing loss and entitlement to a compensable disability rating for right ear hearing loss.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings of his service-connected toenail disabilities and service connection for lumbosacral strain, joint pain, and an acquired psychiatric disorder are being remanded due to the need for further development.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeal for erectile dysfunction and granted an earlier effective date of March 31, 2015, for a 50% evaluation of other specified trauma disorder.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeals for all the listed conditions in April 2024 and March 2025, thus dismissing the appeal.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.