The Board has remanded the claims for a deviated septum and right wrist condition due to insufficient medical opinions addressing the Veteran's lay assertions. The dental claim is denied.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not consider the Veteran’s lay assertions in providing a rationale for why the conditions are not related to qualifying periods of service.
- Claimed conditions
- Dental condition, Deviated septum, Right wrist condition, Bilateral knee condition, Thoracolumbar spine disability, Acquired psychiatric condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 13, 2020
- Citation
- 20025157
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 20025157.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased rating of his cervical spine, thoracolumbar spine, left shoulder, right shoulder, upper extremity neurological, and lower extremity neurological disabilities due to inadequate VA medical examinations in March 2019 and January-May 2016. The new examinations must consider the Veteran's reported onset dates for his symptoms.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities cause the need for regular aid and attendance of another person, which is granted based on the evidence provided.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for both the right and left wrist conditions, finding that there is sufficient evidence to support the Veteran's claims.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric condition and tinnitus, but dismissed the claim of stomach condition (to include acid reflux, heartburn, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)) due to withdrawal by the Veteran. The claims of migraine headaches and sleep apnea are remanded.
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