The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for various conditions, including hypertension, respiratory disorders, sleep apnea, poor circulation, chronic infections, Bell's Palsy, Dupuytren’s Contracture, peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, cataracts, erectile dysfunction, a skin disorder, and plantar fasciitis, all claimed as secondary to diabetes mellitus. The claims are remanded for additional development including VA examinations.
The deciding factor: The Board found that further development is necessary due to the longstanding nature of the appeal and the need to determine if any diagnosed conditions are proximately due or aggravated by service-connected disabilities, including diabetes mellitus.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertension, respiratory disorder, sleep apnea, poor circulation, chronic infections, Bell's Palsy, Dupuytren’s Contracture, peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, cataracts, erectile dysfunction, skin disorder, plantar fasciitis
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 15, 2020
- Citation
- 20066885
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 remands the claim for a medical opinion on whether plantar fasciitis was aggravated by active duty training.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of October 21, 2021, for the grant of service connection for hypertension.
- Dismissed
The appeal for a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss, service connection for right ear hearing loss, and bilateral vision condition was dismissed. Service connection for hypertension, congestive heart failure, and coronary artery disease was denied.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
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