The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims, including reopening of claims for pulmonary embolism and fainting spells, systemic lupus and arthritis, bilateral foot disability, respiratory disability, lumbar spine disability, and rheumatoid arthritis. The VA is instructed to obtain all relevant medical records from the Veteran’s Naval Reserve service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's periods of active duty, active duty for training, and inactive duty for training with the Naval Reserve have not been verified and requested additional records.
- Claimed conditions
- pulmonary embolism, fainting spells, systemic lupus, arthritis, bilateral foot disability (pes planus), respiratory disability (chronic cough), lumbar spine disability (degenerative disc disease), rheumatoid arthritis
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 4, 2019
- Citation
- 19191387
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 19191387.
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 appeal to obtain a VA medical opinion that considers the Veteran's contentions of in-service training with heavy gear and equipment.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, and systemic lupus erythematosus as there was no evidence of onset during active service or etiological relationship to an in-service injury, event, or disease.
- Partly granted
The appeal for service connection for fibromyalgia was granted with an effective date of August 14, 2023. The appeals for earlier effective dates and higher ratings were denied.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for rheumatoid arthritis, resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor based on chronic symptoms shown during service and continuity of those symptoms since service.
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