The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to inadequate examinations and the need for updated treatment records. The Veteran is seeking higher ratings for his right forearm disabilities, including a shrapnel injury, a painful scar, and a scar.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations were deemed inadequate and new evidence was needed to determine the nature and severity of the Veteran's disabilities and their etiology.
- Claimed conditions
- Right forearm shrapnel injury, Painful scar of the right forearm, Right forearm scar
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 15, 2019
- Citation
- 19178623
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 urinary, skin, jock itch, costochondritis, and sleep disorder conditions due to the lack of evidence supporting a current diagnosis or a causal relationship with military service. The claim for bilateral hearing loss was dismissed as it had been granted in a September 2023 rating decision. The claims for left wrist, right wrist, right forearm scar, and abdominal conditions were remanded for further development.
- Granted
The reduction of the Veteran's disability rating for his right forearm scar from 10 percent to noncompensable, effective June 1, 2016, was improper. The 10 percent rating is restored as of that date.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a medical examination to determine if the Veteran's current neck strain is related to his in-service activities.
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