The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to a duty-to-assist error, and he needs an examination to determine his eligibility for specially adapted housing or a special home adaptation grant.
The deciding factor: The decision was remanded because the Veteran needed an additional VA examination to assess his eligibility for specially adapted housing or a special home adaptation grant due to service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with adjustment disorder, mixed anxiety, and depressed mood, sleep apnea, status post right carpal and lateral epicondylar release with residual right hand radial neuropathy, patellofemoral syndrome with degenerative joint disease of the right knee, lumbar spine strain with intervertebral disc syndrome, degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine, patellofemoral syndrome of the left knee, tinnitus, left wrist strain, left lower extremity radiculopathy, hallux limitus/rigidus of the right great toe, headaches
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 8, 2020
- Citation
- A20015329
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,757 · Granted: 23% (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 A20015329.
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 Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The issues of foot disability and cardiovascular disorder are remanded for additional development.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.