The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a left-hand skin disability and bilateral foot skin disability due to inadequate medical opinions in the prior remand. The VA is required to obtain new medical opinions addressing the etiology of these disabilities, particularly whether they are related to exposure to murky water during field exercises.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the previous medical opinions were insufficient as they did not provide a reasoned rationale for their conclusions and failed to discuss the Veteran's lay statements and testimony regarding his symptoms.
- Claimed conditions
- left-hand skin disability, bilateral foot skin disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 17, 2020
- Citation
- 20054455
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 20054455.
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.
- Dismissed
The claim for service connection for migraine headaches was dismissed as there is no issue of fact or law for the Board to decide.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that there was not substantial compliance with its prior remand and thus requires further development for the Veteran's claims of service connection for left-hand skin disability and bilateral foot skin disability.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for sleep apnea and denied service connection for left arm disability, prostate disability, and left-hand skin disability. The Veteran's sleep apnea is found to be aggravated by his service-connected PTSD. His left arm disability, prostate disability, and left-hand skin disability are not found to have onset during service or otherwise related to such service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded four issues for further development: restoration of a 100 percent rating for service-connected bronchial asthma, entitlement to TDIU based on bronchial asthma, service connection for COPD secondary to bronchial asthma, and service connection for a bilateral foot skin disability. The claims are being remanded due to the need for additional VA examinations and treatment records.
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