The Veteran's claim for VR&E services, including a doctoral degree in osteopathic medicine, is remanded due to the need for a new vocational rehabilitation evaluation considering his current symptomatology and employment capabilities.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's disability symptoms have worsened since initiating VR&E participation, necessitating a reassessment by a different VRC.
- Claimed conditions
- right elbow tendonitis, left elbow tendonitis, left wrist tendonitis, right wrist tendonitis, cervical spine strain, thoracolumbar spine strain, patellofemoral syndrome of the left knee, patellofemoral syndrome of the right knee, left ankle achilles tendonitis, right ankle achilles tendonitis, tinnitus, status post right hand fifth finger trauma, bilateral pes planus, scars
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 11, 2020
- Citation
- 20040213
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 20040213.
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 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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran experienced tinnitus during his active duty service.
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