The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for higher initial disability ratings for residuals of Parkinson’s disease due to insufficient evaluation by the November 2018 VA examination and July 2019 VA examination. Additional VA examinations are needed to assess the functional impact of each of his residuals, including stooped posture, balance impairment, tremor of upper extremities, muscle rigidity and stiffness of upper and lower extremities, loss of automated facial movements, speech impairment, constipation, and a sleep impairment.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations provided by the Veteran were insufficient to adequately rate his residuals of Parkinson’s disease by analogy to applicable Diagnostic Codes due to their inadequate findings regarding the severity and description of his conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- balance impairment, tremor of right upper extremity, tremor of left upper extremity, muscle rigidity and stiffness of right lower extremity, muscle rigidity and stiffness of left lower extremity, loss of automated movements of right side of face, loss of automated movements of left side of face, constipation, speech impairment, sleep impairment
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20040973
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 20040973.
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 Veteran's appeal for special monthly compensation and service connection was denied due to a late filing of the Board Appeal request.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeals for all the listed conditions in April 2024 and March 2025, thus dismissing the appeal.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for earlier effective dates and increased ratings has been withdrawn by the Veteran's attorney, resulting in the dismissal of the appeal.
- Denied
The Veteran's disability picture, primarily due to Parkinson's disease and related manifestations, does not meet the criteria for SMC at the statutory housebound level as his other disabilities do not yield a combined rating of 60 percent.
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