The Board remands the service connection claims for various disorders, including right and left hip, knee, lumbar spine, lower extremity radiculopathy, and foot conditions, as new VA examinations are needed to address the Veteran's reported in-service injuries and circumstances of service.
The deciding factor: The July 2019 VA examiner did not adequately address the Veteran’s reported in-service injuries or consider his service duties as a combat medic, leading to an inadequate nexus opinion.
- Claimed conditions
- right hip disorder, left hip disorder, right knee disorder, left knee disorder, lumbar spine disorder, right lower extremity radiculopathy, left lower extremity radiculopathy, right foot disorder, left foot disorder
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 1, 2020
- Citation
- 20063911
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied earlier effective dates for the grant of service connection and granted initial 40 percent ratings for left upper extremity CTS, right lower extremity radiculopathy, and left lower extremity radiculopathy.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's award of total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU) is granted effective from April 15, 2017, solely based on his unspecified anxiety disorder. The claim for an earlier effective date for service connection for right lower extremity radiculopathy was denied.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) and special monthly compensation (SMC) housebound status, but dismissed the claims for initial ratings in excess of 40 percent for lumbosacral spine disability, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including a head injury, headache disorder, erectile dysfunction, left earache disorder, chronic fatigue, right shoulder disorder, irritable bowel syndrome, right foot disorder, GERD, and left shoulder disorder, as the evidence did not support current diagnoses of these conditions.
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