The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, cervical spine disability, back disability, erectile dysfunction, prostate disability, bilateral ankle and knee disabilities, shoulder and hip disabilities, right upper and lower extremity peripheral neuropathies, anxiety, depression, and PTSD are not service-connected.,All of the claimed conditions were first diagnosed many years after separation from service. There is no evidence linking any of these conditions to service or a service-connected disability.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions provided do not establish a link between the Veteran's current diagnoses and his military service, as there are no in-service complaints or treatment records for many of the claimed disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, cervical spine disability, back disability, erectile dysfunction, prostate disability, bilateral ankle disability, knee disability, shoulder disability, hip disability, right upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, anxiety, depression, PTSD
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 7, 2019
- Citation
- 19184096
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for a back disability due to a duty to assist error, specifically regarding VA's failure to provide the Veteran with a VA examination prior to the rating decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder to ensure a proper examination and etiology opinion are provided.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for PTSD, generalized anxiety disorder, and somatic symptom disorder, as well as presumptive service connection for basal cell carcinoma under the PACT Act. Service connection was denied for chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, right restless leg syndrome, left restless leg syndrome, an increased rating for psychiatric disorder, bilateral hearing loss, a left forehead surgical scar, and allergic rhinitis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for tinnitus to correct a duty to assist error, as the Veteran's lay statements regarding onset and continuity of symptoms were not adequately considered in the previous decision.
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