The Board has remanded the case due to additional development being required, including a vocational rehabilitation evaluation that assesses the Veteran's current limitations and their effect on his ability to perform in his occupational field. The issue of entitlement to VR&E benefits is still pending.
The deciding factor: Additional development is needed as per previous remand instructions.
- Claimed conditions
- sleep apnea, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), anxiety disorder, urinary incontinence, degenerative disc disease with a cervical spine strain, degenerative disc disease of the thoracolumbar spine, left shoulder sprain, patellar tendonitis of the right knee, patellar tendonitis of the left knee, tendonitis of the right ankle, tendonitis of the left ankle, bilateral flat feet, fracture of the right fourth toe, tinnitus, sigmoid diverticulosis, folliculitis of the scalp, tendonitis of the left elbow, radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve of the right lower extremity, radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve of the left lower extremity, radiculopathy of the femoral nerve of the right lower extremity, radiculopathy of the femoral nerve of the left lower extremity, left ear hearing loss, deviated nasal septum, right epididymal cyst with hydrocele, left varicocele, chronic anemia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 12, 2020
- Citation
- 20053527
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 20053527.
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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