The Veteran's gastrointestinal, respiratory, psychiatric, hearing loss and tinnitus, lumbar spine, shoulder, hand, hip, knee, ankle, and foot disabilities are being remanded for further evaluation due to the complexity of his claims and the need for additional medical opinions.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that an additional VA examination is necessary to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed conditions, particularly given the complex nature of some of his disability claims and the need to consider presumptive service connection based on exposure at Camp Lejeune.
- Claimed conditions
- irritable bowel syndrome, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, sinusitis, obstructive sleep apnea, acquired psychiatric disability (depression, anxiety), bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, lumbar spine disability, bilateral shoulder disabilities, bilateral hand disabilities, bilateral hip disabilities, bilateral knee disabilities, bilateral ankle disabilities, bilateral foot disabilities
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 29, 2020
- Citation
- 20070180
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
- 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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