The Veteran's appeal includes multiple issues related to his service-connected disabilities, including peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, low back disability, left knee disability, and heart disability. The Board has determined that additional development is needed for these claims due to incomplete medical opinions.
The deciding factor: Incomplete VA medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's current conditions are secondary to his service-connected disabilities have been provided.
- Claimed conditions
- Chest Scar, Nervous System Disorder (to include Parkinson's Disease), Peripheral Neuropathy of the Bilateral Upper Extremities (BUE), Peripheral Neuropathy of the Bilateral Lower Extremities (BLE), Lumbar Spine Degenerative Joint Disease Status Post Laminectomy and Discectomy (Low Back Disability), Patellofemoral Syndrome with Degenerative Joint Disease of the Left Knee (Left Knee Disability), Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (Heart Disability)
- 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
- 19187882
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,902 · Granted: 11% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 19187882.
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 Veteran's service-connected disabilities have not precluded him from substantially gainful employment for which his education and occupational experience would otherwise qualify.
- Granted
The Veteran's claims for service connection of a right shoulder disorder and chest scar have been granted. The claim for a rating higher than 10 percent for tinnitus has been dismissed. The Board has remanded the cases to obtain STRs, provide a VA medical opinion regarding the etiology of the disorders, and schedule an examination for hearing loss.
- Granted
The Veteran is entitled to a TDIU from July 2012 due to the combined effect of multiple service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and ischemic heart disease, preventing him from maintaining substantially gainful employment.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at least a 30 percent prior to November 17, 2012 and in excess of 50 percent on and after that date. The TDIU issue is also addressed.
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