The Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to the need for additional examinations and opinions regarding the etiology of his claimed conditions, particularly those related to bilateral ankles, knees, hips, lumbar spine, cervical spine, lower extremity numbness, right ankle condition, left ankle condition, right knee condition, left knee condition, right hip condition, left hip condition, sleep apnea, and tension headaches. The issues are remanded due to the need for additional examinations and opinions regarding whether his service-connected bilateral pes planus has aggravated these conditions.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claims require further examination and opinion as they are inextricably intertwined with other remanded claims related to his service-connected bilateral pes planus.
- Claimed conditions
- {"condition_name":"Tension headaches","claimed_condition":"Secondary to service-connected scar from removal of sebaceous cyst"}, {"condition_name":"Right ankle condition","claimed_condition":"Secondary to service-connected bilateral pes planus"}, {"condition_name":"Left ankle condition","claimed_condition":"Secondary to service-connected bilateral pes planus"}, {"condition_name":"Right knee condition","claimed_condition":"Secondary to service-connected bilateral pes planus"}, {"condition_name":"Left knee condition","claimed_condition":"Secondary to service-connected bilateral pes planus"}, {"condition_name":"Right hip condition","claimed_condition":"Secondary to service-connected bilateral pes planus"}, {"condition_name":"Left hip condition","claimed_condition":"Secondary to service-connected bilateral pes planus"}, {"condition_name":"Lumbar spine condition","claimed_condition":"Secondary to service-connected bilateral pes planus"}, {"condition_name":"Cervical spine condition","claimed_condition":"Secondary to service-connected bilateral pes planus"}, {"condition_name":"Right lower extremity numbness","claimed_condition":"Secondary to service-connected bilateral pes planus"}, {"condition_name":"Left lower extremity numbness","claimed_condition":"Secondary to service-connected bilateral pes planus"}, {"condition_name":"Right upper extremity numbness","claimed_condition":"Secondary to service-connected bilateral pes planus"}, {"condition_name":"Sleep apnea","claimed_condition":"Secondary to service-connected bilateral pes planus"}
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 21, 2019
- Citation
- 19187774
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right lower extremity sciatica associated with the Veteran's service-connected lumbosacral spine strain, but remanded claims for service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and sleep apnea.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his lung cancer was related to his service-connected melanoma.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for anxiety but denied it for sleep apnea, finding that the Veteran's sleep apnea was less likely than not related to his active service or service-connected acquired psychiatric condition.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for migraine headaches as proximately due to the Veteran's service-connected tinnitus.
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