The Veteran's initial disability ratings for his painful left wrist scar, residual scars of the right knee, and other disabilities are denied. The Board finds that new examinations are needed to determine the current severity of these conditions.,The Veteran’s claims for increased ratings are REMANDED as there is insufficient evidence regarding the current severity of his right wrist, left wrist, back, right knee, left ankle, allergic rhinitis, and pseudofolliculitis barbae disabilities.
The deciding factor: The initial disability ratings for the Veteran's painful left wrist scar, residual scars of the right knee, and other conditions are denied as there is insufficient evidence to warrant higher ratings based on current symptomatology.,There is a need for new examinations to determine the current severity of the Veteran’s right wrist, left wrist, back, right knee, left ankle, allergic rhinitis, and pseudofolliculitis barbae disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Allergic rhinitis, Back disability characterized as a strain of the thoracolumbar spine, Left ankle disability characterized as a left ankle sprain, Left wrist disability characterized as a ganglion cyst of the left wrist, status post-surgery, Painful left wrist scar post ganglion cyst removal, Pseudofolliculitis barbae with folliculitis of the bilateral legs, Residual linear scar of the left wrist, status post ganglion cyst removal, Residual scars of the right knee, status post-arthroscopy, Right knee disability characterized as a medial meniscus tear of the right knee, status post-surgery with benign broad-based osteochondroma/bony exostosis, Right wrist disability characterized as a ganglion cyst of the right wrist
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 12, 2019
- Citation
- 19193339
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,948 · Granted: 29% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19193339.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that there was a duty to assist error and remands the case for further development. The Veteran contends his allergic rhinitis began during service, but VA medical opinions have found no link between his current condition and service.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's appeal for an effective date prior to February 5, 2024, for a 10 percent evaluation of allergic rhinitis was denied. The Veteran also appealed for a higher rating for his allergic rhinitis and this was denied as well.,The Veteran's PTSD with TBI claim is remanded due to inadequate medical examinations.
- Denied
The Veteran's appeal for higher ratings for GERD and allergic rhinitis was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a rating in excess of 10 percent for GERD, as there is no documented history of recurrent esophageal stricture causing dysphagia requiring daily medications or dilatation more than once per year. For allergic rhinitis, the Veteran's symptoms were not severe enough to warrant a compensable rating due to lack of polyps and obstruction.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the appeal for service connection of allergic rhinitis. Service connection is granted for a skin disorder (Pseudofolliculitis barbae) and denied for a chronic cervical spine disorder.
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