The Board has determined that additional medical opinions are needed to address the Veteran's claims for service connection, particularly regarding his assertions of continuity of symptoms since separation from active duty and the potential secondary effects of his alcohol abuse on his liver disease.
The deciding factor: The VA clinician is requested to provide an opinion addressing whether the Veteran’s contentions of continued symptoms since service separation are supported by the evidence of record, including his competent and credible reports of such. Additionally, a nexus opinion is needed to address whether the Veteran's alcohol abuse caused or aggravated his liver disease.
- Claimed conditions
- Peripheral neuropathy, Skin disability, Respiratory disability, Carpal tunnel syndrome, Arthritis of the upper and lower extremities, Kidney disability, Liver disability (including hepatitis C)
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 3, 2020
- Citation
- 20000400
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 veteran withdrew his appeals for service connection for degenerative arthritis of the spine, bilateral neuropathy below the hips, and a skin disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error regarding VA's obligation to obtain relevant records from the Social Security Administration.
- Partly granted
The Board granted the petitions to readjudicate claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and an acquired psychiatric disability, while denying service connection for lower back, kidney, diabetes mellitus type II, hypertension, left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and sleep apnea.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) and an effective date of August 13, 2019, for the grant of Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) based on the need for aid and attendance.
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