The Board has determined that the VA examinations are inadequate for purposes of adjudicating the Veteran's claims on appeal and remands them for further development. The issues include service connection for spinal nerve degeneration with pain and numbness, back condition and degenerative arthritis of the spine; dermatitis or eczema and onychomycosis of the toenails; and peripheral neuropathy.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations did not adequately address the Veteran's lay reports regarding his symptoms and history, nor did they consider the evidence of record indicating that he has a current diagnosis of spinal radiculopathy and complaints of pain in his right leg and right hand.
- Claimed conditions
- spinal nerve degeneration with pain and numbness, back condition and degenerative arthritis of the spine, dermatitis or eczema and onychomycosis of the toenails, claimed as skin defacing on hand and legs, skin condition, bilateral feet, skin condition, bilateral hands and soft tissue sarcomas, peripheral neuropathy
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 21, 2020
- Citation
- 20068015
Veterans Law Judge
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 20068015.
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 Veteran's spouse is seeking to be substituted as the appellant for claims of service connection filed by the Veteran in August 2017. The AOJ has not yet determined whether she meets the requirements to substitute, and this issue must be remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, and peripheral neuropathy due to a duty to assist error in failing to obtain relevant exposure information. The AOJ is instructed to conduct additional development as outlined in the decision.
- Granted
The Veteran was granted an effective date of May 15, 2023 for his total disability due to individual unemployability (TDIU) based on his service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate TERA opinions regarding the Veteran's diabetes. The claim will be returned for further review and an addendum opinion from a clinician.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.