The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating for allergic rhinitis is denied.,The Veteran's appeals for service connection of a left great toe disability and right great toe injury are remanded. The Veteran's appeal for service connection of a hand and finger pain condition is also remanded.,The Veteran's appeals for service connection of a hand and finger pain condition (presumed to be gout) and increased rating for allergic rhinitis are remanded.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence that the Veteran’s allergic rhinitis was incurred in or aggravated by service.,The VA examinations did not diagnose sinusitis, but they found that the Veteran's symptoms were consistent with degenerative arthritis and hallux valgus of the left foot. The examiner noted gout affecting the metatarsophalangeal joint of the great toe is outside the scope of the current exam request for musculoskeletal foot DBQ.,The VA examinations did not provide an opinion on the etiology of the Veteran's upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, except to say that it was 'idiopathic.' The examiner also found no evidence of hand and finger pain in STRs. The Board finds remand is necessary for a gout-specific VA examination and another VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any gout.
- Claimed conditions
- Allergic rhinitis, Left great toe disability (gout), Right great toe injury, Hand and fingers pain
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 10, 2020
- Citation
- 20072356
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,451 · Granted: 22% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
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 20072356.
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.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's appeal for an effective date prior to February 5, 2024, for a 10 percent evaluation of allergic rhinitis was denied. The Veteran also appealed for a higher rating for his allergic rhinitis and this was denied as well.,The Veteran's PTSD with TBI claim is remanded due to inadequate medical examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that there was a duty to assist error and remands the case for further development. The Veteran contends his allergic rhinitis began during service, but VA medical opinions have found no link between his current condition and service.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the appeal for service connection of allergic rhinitis. Service connection is granted for a skin disorder (Pseudofolliculitis barbae) and denied for a chronic cervical spine disorder.
- Denied
The Veteran's appeal for higher ratings for GERD and allergic rhinitis was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a rating in excess of 10 percent for GERD, as there is no documented history of recurrent esophageal stricture causing dysphagia requiring daily medications or dilatation more than once per year. For allergic rhinitis, the Veteran's symptoms were not severe enough to warrant a compensable rating due to lack of polyps and obstruction.
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