The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's microcytic hypochromic anemia was aggravated by service, including presumed herbicide exposure. The case must be returned for further development.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner could not provide a clear opinion without resorting to speculation about the baseline blood count and the progression of the condition during service.
- Claimed conditions
- microcytic hypochromic anemia
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 21, 2020
- Citation
- 20013858
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 20013858.
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 the Veteran's claim for service connection for microcytic hypochromic anemia, secondary to Agent Orange exposure, finding that the condition did not manifest during or within a presumptive period after service and was not otherwise etiologically related to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and scheduling the Veteran for appropriate examinations to assess her service-connected disabilities. The issue of TDIU will also be addressed.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for anemia, including as secondary to gynecological disorders and/or a hysterectomy, is being remanded due to the need for additional development of her service treatment records.
- Granted
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for lumbosacral strain, allergic rhinitis, and microcytic hypochromic anemia were granted. The initial evaluations for these conditions are as follows: lumbosacral strain at 20%, allergic rhinitis at 10%, and microcytic hypochromic anemia is rated compensable.
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