The Board has remanded the claims for hypertension, residuals of right breast surgery, and eczematous dermatosis of the hands, face, arms and legs due to a duty to assist error. The Veteran's exposure while stationed at Fort McClellan is being verified, and she will be scheduled for an examination to assess her current severity.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was a pre-decisional duty to assist error regarding the verification of the Veteran’s alleged chemical and/or herbicide exposure and scheduling of an examination for her eczematous dermatosis.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertension, residuals of right breast surgery, eczematous dermatosis of the hands, face, arms and legs
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 23, 2020
- Citation
- A20015941
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,084 · Granted: 20% (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 A20015941.
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.
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- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to conflicting opinions regarding service connection for peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and skin disabilities related to herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and increased rating for anxiety disorder have been denied. The Board found that there is no evidence of a current disability meeting the criteria for hypertension, and the Veteran's anxiety disorder does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
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