The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities and restless leg syndrome, as secondary to his service-connected left knee and/or back disabilities. The VA is instructed to obtain an addendum opinion addressing whether these conditions are related to his military service or aggravated by his service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there were insufficient opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's peripheral neuropathy and restless leg syndrome, particularly in relation to his service-connected left knee and back disabilities. The VA is instructed to provide an addendum opinion addressing these issues.
- Claimed conditions
- Peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, Restless leg syndrome
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20003753
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,676 · Granted: 24% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 20003753.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's current peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities was incurred during his period of active service, including exposure to herbicides in the Republic of Vietnam. The Board granted service connection for this condition.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected right lower extremity sciatic and femoral nerve radiculopathy with restless leg syndrome is currently rated at 20 percent, effective May 8, 2024. The appeal for higher ratings has been denied.
- Denied
The appeal regarding the July 2, 2020 rating decision for PTSD was denied. The claims of service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities were also denied.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for restless leg syndrome of both legs and denied his claim for a higher rating for generalized anxiety disorder. The Veteran is now rated at 70% for generalized anxiety disorder, effective from July 11, 2019.
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