The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a bilateral knee condition and Sjögren’s Syndrome, to include Sicca syndrome due to insufficient medical opinions addressing her service connection claims. The Veteran is presumed to have had pre-existing conditions of allergic rhinitis and food and drug allergies that did not worsen during service.
The deciding factor: The Board found the VA examination opinions inadequate as they did not address the Veteran's credible testimony regarding an increase in severity following service, nor did they consider her August 1998 report of knee pain. The examiner also failed to account for the Veteran’s risk factors and medications used for her service-connected conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Seasonal allergic rhinitis, Multiple food and drug allergies
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- July 20, 2020
- Citation
- 20048175
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 20048175.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
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 arthritis of the left elbow, right elbow, left thumb, right thumb, cervical spine, and lumbar spine as well as seasonal allergic rhinitis due to potential CBRNE exposure during service. The Veteran will be provided with VA examinations to evaluate his claimed disabilities.
- Denied
The Veteran's knee and foot disabilities have been rated at the lowest possible level due to their mild nature, with no evidence of ankylosis or instability. The Veteran does not meet criteria for higher ratings under any applicable diagnostic codes.
- Denied
The Board has determined that there is no evidence to support a finding that the Veteran's cardiopulmonary arrest was caused or contributed substantially or materially to his death. The preponderance of the evidence is against the claim.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including atrial fibrillation and stroke, are pending. The claim to reopen a liver condition is granted.,Compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for residuals of stroke is not currently warranted.
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