The Board has ordered a remand for the Veteran's claim of service connection for a neurological disorder, including as due to Agent Orange exposure. The remand is required because the previous VA examination opinion was inadequate and does not provide a reasoned medical explanation connecting the two.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not provide a reasoned medical explanation connecting the medical literature to the Veteran's diagnosed conditions and dismissed the possibility of Agent Orange exposure as a cause for the Veteran's neurological disorders without providing any rationale.
- Claimed conditions
- Guillain-Barre syndrome, quadriparesis, trigeminal neuralgia, neurogenic bladder
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 28, 2020
- Citation
- 20069788
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 issue of entitlement to service connection for Guillain-Barre syndrome for an adequate toxic exposure risk activity (TERA) opinion.
- Partly granted
The Board granted initial ratings of 30 percent for trigeminal neuralgia and 40 percent for both left and right lower extremity radiculopathy, but denied an increased rating for contact dermatitis. An earlier effective date was also granted for the right lower extremity radiculopathy.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a neurogenic bladder as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected lumbar strain.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for several conditions effective April 16, 2007, but no earlier, and denied a rating in excess of 30 percent for constipation. SMC based on the need for aid and attendance was granted from August 30, 2013.
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