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
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The appeal for service connection for back and bilateral knee conditions was withdrawn by the Veteran.
- Granted
The veteran was granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to his service-connected disabilities.
- Dismissed
The veteran's appeal was dismissed due to the untimely filing of the Board Appeal request.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right knee strain, left knee strain, lumbar radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, and lumbar radiculopathy of the left lower extremity. It also granted initial ratings for various disabilities including a 20 percent rating for lumbar degenerative disc disease with intervertebral disc syndrome, spondylosis, and spondylolisthesis, a 30 percent rating for labral tear, including superior labral anterior-posterior lesion, status post surgical repair, and higher ratings for other conditions.
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