The Board has decided to remand the issues of entitlement to increased evaluations for various service-connected disabilities, including thoracolumbar strain, patellarfemoral syndrome (left and right knees), residual surgical scars, painful scar, and scar. The reasons are that additional development is needed in order to properly evaluate the current severity of these conditions.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that new examinations are needed for proper evaluation due to incomplete information from previous examinations regarding range of motion testing and pain levels.
- Claimed conditions
- thoracolumbar strain, patellarfemoral syndrome (left knee), patellarfemoral syndrome (right knee), residual surgical scars (status post cyst excision, right hand, status post surgery, right and left knees, and status post-laparoscopic cholecystectomy), painful scar (left lower extremity)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 29, 2020
- Citation
- 20070317
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for a rating greater than 10 percent for thoracolumbar strain, as the evidence did not support a higher rating.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss as there was no evidence that it met a compensable level during the period on appeal.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of September 2, 2010, for service connection for radiculopathy of the left and right sciatic nerves but denied increased ratings for these conditions. The claims for increased ratings for knee and back conditions were remanded.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for hearing loss, a bladder condition, and various other conditions including psychiatric issues, alopecia, musculoskeletal problems, and skin conditions. The Veteran's claims were not supported by the evidence of record.
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