The Veteran's claims for initial compensable ratings for osteoporosis and primary biliary cirrhosis are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations to determine their current severity.
The deciding factor: The Board is unable to make a fully-informed decision on the issues without further examination of the Veteran’s conditions, as no VA examiner has opined which of his digestive conditions (cirrhosis or GERD) is predominant and evaluated the current severity of either condition.
- Claimed conditions
- osteoporosis, primary biliary cirrhosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 14, 2019
- Citation
- 19185458
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 appeal for special monthly pension (SMP) based on the need for regular aid and attendance or housebound status is remanded to ensure that the appellant receives every possible consideration, including a new VA examination.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for osteoporosis, finding that it was aggravated by the Veteran's service-connected PTSD with depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, and alcohol use disorder.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case to ensure that the duty to assist was satisfied with regard to obtaining VA and private records relevant to the claim.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various conditions, including bilateral pes planus, heart condition, back disorder, osteoporosis, and others, as additional development is necessary.
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