The appeal of the issue of entitlement to an increased rating for tinnitus is dismissed.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and disabilities of the right arm and left hand are remanded due to new evidence received since the last denial.,The Veteran’s claim for service connection for PTSD, major depressive disorder, and other acquired psychiatric disorders is reopened based on new evidence. The claims for service connection for a neck condition, right shoulder condition, left shoulder condition, right arm condition, low back condition, bilateral foot conditions are also remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for OSA is remanded as he testified that his problems sleeping began during service. The claims for service connection for a neck condition, right shoulder condition, left shoulder condition, right arm condition, low back condition, bilateral foot conditions are also remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension is remanded as he testified that his frequent in-service headaches were related to the onset of hypertension. The claims for service connection for a neck condition, right shoulder condition, left shoulder condition, right arm condition, low back condition, bilateral foot conditions are also remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions.
The deciding factor: The Veteran withdrew his appeal of the issue of entitlement to an increased rating for tinnitus before the Board could make a decision.,New evidence received since the last denial includes diagnoses of hypertension and acquired psychiatric disorders, which are material to the claims. The claims for service connection for these conditions are reopened.,The Veteran testified that he experienced stress during weapons training in Germany, which may be associated with his current acquired psychiatric disorder (including major depressive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder).,The Veteran testified that he experienced cold weather and rigorous manual labor during service, which may be associated with his current neck condition, right shoulder condition, left shoulder condition, right arm condition, low back condition, and bilateral foot conditions.,The Veteran testified that he experienced frequent headaches in service, which he attributes to the onset of hypertension. The claims for service connection for OSA and hypertension are remanded as they may be associated with his current conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, acquired psychiatric disorder (including major depressive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder), neck condition, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), right shoulder condition, left shoulder condition, right arm condition, hypertension, low back condition, bilateral foot condition
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 5, 2019
- Citation
- 19183545
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 an effective date of October 21, 2021, for the grant of service connection for hypertension.
- Dismissed
The appeal for a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss, service connection for right ear hearing loss, and bilateral vision condition was dismissed. Service connection for hypertension, congestive heart failure, and coronary artery disease was denied.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
- Partly granted
The Veteran was granted a 70 percent initial disability rating for PTSD effective December 2, 2021, but the claim for an increased rating in excess of 70 percent was denied. The appeal also included claims for service connection and ratings for various conditions, some of which were granted while others were remanded.
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