The Board has determined that the VA examination and opinion provided in April 2018 did not comply with its remand directives. The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral lower extremity varicose veins is being returned to the RO for further development.
The deciding factor: The remand was not substantially complied with as neither the August 2018 examination nor the October 2018 addendum individually, or in the aggregate, provided a sufficient rationale for their opinions regarding the Veteran's varicose veins and her periods of service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral lower extremity varicose veins
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 17, 2019
- Citation
- 19194733
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 19194733.
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 entitlement to service connection for bilateral lower extremity varicose veins was dismissed due to an improper concurrent election under the Appeals Modernization Act.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral lower extremity varicose veins, finding no evidence of in-service incurrence or a nexus to service.
- Partly granted
The Board denied a compensable initial rating for hypertension and remanded the claims for service connection for cervical spine disorder, right carpal tunnel disorder, left carpal tunnel disorder, bilateral upper extremity varicose veins, and bilateral lower extremity varicose veins.
- Partly granted
The veteran was granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) as of January 4, 2021. However, the effective date prior to September 27, 2021 for service connection for bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, bilateral upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, and bilateral lower extremity varicose veins was denied. The claim for a higher rating for diabetes mellitus type II with complications and TDIU prior to January 4, 2021 were remanded.
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