The Board has vacated the issues of service connection for heat edema of the right lower extremity and an earlier effective date for tinnitus due to a lack of proper notice in the Veteran's initial appeal. The claims are now remanded for further action.
The deciding factor: The Veteran’s initial Notice of Disagreement did not include the claims for service connection for heat edema of the right lower extremity and entitlement to an earlier effective date for tinnitus, which were included on the April 2020 VA Form 10182 Notice of Disagreement. As a result, these issues should have been remanded rather than vacated.
- Claimed conditions
- heat edema of the right lower extremity, tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 11, 2020
- Citation
- 20059982
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 20059982.
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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