The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims, including those for diabetes mellitus and hypertension. The specific issues are: service connection for a low back disability, service connection for diabetes mellitus, rating in excess of 10 percent for hypertension, increased ratings for degenerative joint disease of the right index finger, and fracture of the right fifth metacarpal.
The deciding factor: The remand is necessary to obtain an addendum opinion regarding whether the Veteran's diabetes mellitus may be proximately due or aggravated by his service-connected hypertension and obstructive sleep apnea.
- Claimed conditions
- low back disability, diabetes mellitus, type 2
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 23, 2020
- Citation
- 20049323
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 20049323.
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 found that remand is needed for the Veteran's claims due to duty to assist errors, including clarification of periods of service and obtaining relevant records. The Veteran will be afforded new medical examinations for each claimed disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the claims of right shoulder disability and low back disability due to insufficient evidence.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection of a low back disability was granted with an effective date of January 9, 2018. The Board accepted her November 21, 2019 VA Form 20-0996 as a valid opt-in of the April 2019 SOC into the modernized review system.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal concerning diabetes and a low back disability has been dismissed due to their death during the pendency of the appeal.
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