The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected disabilities caused his obesity, which in turn contributed to his cause of death. The examiner is requested to provide an opinion on this matter.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was not sufficient evidence to determine if the Veteran’s service-connected disabilities were a substantial factor in causing his obesity and subsequent cause of death.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral knee, tibia fracture, lumbar spine, bilateral hip
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 11, 2019
- Citation
- 19193210
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,037 · Granted: 21% (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 19193210.
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.
- Dismissed
The appeal has been dismissed as the appellant, through his authorized representative, requested to withdraw the appeal.
- Dismissed
The claims seeking compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for left foot and bladder disabilities, as well as service connection for tinnitus, are dismissed due to lack of new and relevant evidence. The claim seeking service connection for bilateral knee disabilities is readjudicated.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran is seeking an earlier effective date for a 30 percent evaluation for cold urticaria, which was initially granted in June 2015. The Board finds that further development is needed to determine the appropriate effective date.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal for increased rating claims for lumbar spine and bilateral knee disabilities, so the case is dismissed.
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