The Veteran's claim for VR&E benefits is remanded due to the need for a complete vocational rehabilitation file and additional evaluations. The Veteran also needs to provide evidence of unsuccessful attempts at employment in his chosen fields.
The deciding factor: The Veteran has not provided sufficient evidence that he has attempted to obtain employment in his proposed field, which may affect the feasibility of his current goal.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with pulmonary nodule, anxiety disorder, urinary incontinence, degenerative disc disease with a cervical spine strain, degenerative disc disease of the thoracolumbar spine, left shoulder sprain, patellar tendonitis of the right knee and left knee, tendonitis of the right ankle and left ankle, bilateral flat feet, fracture of the right fourth toe, tinnitus, sigmoid diverticulosis, residuals of folliculitis of the scalp, tendonitis of the left elbow, radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve of the right lower extremity and left lower extremity, radiculopathy of the femoral nerve of the right lower extremity and left lower extremity, left ear hearing loss, deviated nasal septum, right epididymal cyst with hydrocele, left varicocele, chronic anemia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 18, 2019
- Citation
- 19195241
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 19195241.
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 a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss, service connection for right ear hearing loss, and bilateral vision condition was dismissed. Service connection for hypertension, congestive heart failure, and coronary artery disease was denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for tinnitus to correct a duty to assist error, as the Veteran's lay statements regarding onset and continuity of symptoms were not adequately considered in the previous decision.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for tinnitus, cubital tunnel syndrome, right plantar fasciitis, and a right knee disability due to the lack of evidence supporting a nexus between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.
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