The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and effective dates are being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding his service-connected conditions.,The Board has also found that there is a need for an addendum opinion concerning the nature and severity of the Veteran’s acquired psychiatric disability, including any pertinent symptoms contemplated by the rating criteria.
The deciding factor: The claims are being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding the Veteran's service-connected conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Adjustment Disorder with Depressed Mood, Degenerative Joint Disease of the Lumbar Spine, Left Lower Extremity Radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 14, 2020
- Citation
- 20002556
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, except for a 20 percent rating for lumbosacral strain.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and chronic sinusitis. However, it granted an increased disability rating of 30 percent for left upper extremity radiculopathy.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed all issues as a matter of law due to a procedural defect in the Veteran's February 2023 VA Form 10182s, which attempted to concurrently elect multiple review options.
- Denied
The appeal regarding the propriety of the award of attorney fees to H.B. was denied, while the issue of reasonableness of the fee award is being remanded for further review.
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