The Veteran's claims for higher ratings on several service-connected disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and opinions.
The deciding factor: Further examination is required to obtain adequate clinical findings, including range of motion testing in passive motion and weight-bearing, as well as assessments of functional loss during flare-ups and with repeated use over a period of time. Addendum opinions are needed regarding hypertension complications and the etiology of blurred vision.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbosacral spine, Degenerative joint disease (DJD) and DDD of the cervical spine, Chronic strain and DJD of the left shoulder, Left wrist scaphoid fracture ORIF with residuals, DJD and chronic strain of the left ankle, Hypertension, Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) with duodenitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 12, 2020
- Citation
- 20072729
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,196 · Granted: 17% (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 20072729.
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 claim of service connection for hypertension, finding that it did not manifest during service and is not causally related to the Veteran's exposure to herbicides or service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current condition and active duty service or herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for hypertension and has remanded the issue of an increased rating for skin condition.
- Granted
The Board has restored the Veteran's 10% rating for hypertension effective December 1, 2025 and denied a rating in excess of 10%. The reduction from 10% to noncompensable was not proper.
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