The Board has vacated the October 2019 decision and remanded the claim for a compensable rating for thyroidectomy (also claimed as hypothyroidism). The Veteran's initial service-connected condition is rated under Diagnostic Code 7903, but additional development is needed to determine the current severity of his hypothyroidism.
The deciding factor: The pre-decisional error in the November 2018 VA examination report did not consider all symptoms attributable to hypothyroidism and further development is needed.
- Claimed conditions
- hypothyroidism, thyroidectomy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 29, 2020
- Citation
- A20016211
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 a deviated septum and denied compensable ratings for allergic rhinitis, chronic sinusitis, hypothyroidism, and hypertension.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for hypothyroidism, as it is presumptively linked to herbicide agent exposure during the Veteran's service in Vietnam.
- Denied
The Board denied an initial compensable disability rating for service-connected hypothyroidism and remanded the claim for service connection for lipomas (claimed as cysts surgery).
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for hypothyroidism secondary to in-service toxic exposure risk activity (TERA) based on the Veteran's conceded in-service jet fuel fumes exposure.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.