The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to the Veteran's refusal of VA examinations related to his service-connected disabilities. The effective date for the grant of service connection remains pending.
The deciding factor: The Veteran refused scheduled VA examinations, making it impossible to determine the current severity and manifestations of his service-connected conditions without such evaluations.
- Claimed conditions
- Costochondritis, Residuals of old healed fracture deformities of the first, second, and third ribs
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 5, 2020
- Citation
- 20031622
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 20031622.
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 reduction in rating for the Veteran's back condition from 40% to 20%, effective September 1, 2025 is improper and void ab initio. The petition to reverse this reduction is granted. An increased rating for costochondritis is denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to July 18, 2012, for a finding of total disability based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities (TDIU). The Board found that the Veteran was not unemployable within one year prior to his July 18, 2012, claim.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's initial compensable rating for costochondritis is denied, and the Board has remanded his claim of service connection for a headache condition.
- Granted
The Veteran's costochondritis and asthma have been granted service connection, with a 10% evaluation for asthma.
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