The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for an effective date earlier than September 2, 2015 for TDIU and basic eligibility for education benefits under Chapter 35 (DEA). The cases are being referred to the Director of Compensation Service for consideration of whether TDIU is warranted on an extraschedular basis. Additional development may be needed based on new evidence.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claims were remanded due to issues with the effective dates and potential extraschedular considerations for TDIU.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine, Cervical radiculopathy of the right upper extremity, Cervical radiculopathy of the left upper extremity, Sarcoidosis, Degenerative joint disease of the right knee
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 20, 2020
- Citation
- 20013364
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 20013364.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine, finding that there is no nexus between the current disability and active duty service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to a duty to assist error, specifically regarding whether the Veteran's current conditions are aggravated by his service-connected DDD of the lumbosacral spine. The AOJ is required to obtain new medical opinions addressing this issue.
- Granted
The Veteran's right and left knee braces caused wear and tear to his clothing in the year of 2021, leading to a decision granting annual clothing allowances for both knee braces.
- Dismissed
The appeal as to the proposed severance of service connection for sarcoidosis is dismissed. The Veteran's OSA and BHL are denied, but a compensable rating is granted for BHL.
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