The Board has remanded the claims for further examination and opinion regarding the Veteran's claimed cervical spine, bilateral ankle, right shoulder joint, and bilateral foot joint disabilities. The appeals are currently pending.
The deciding factor: The March 2018 VA Gulf War examiner found no signs or symptoms of a diagnosed medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illness, including for the Veteran’s current musculoskeletal conditions attributed to microtrauma/s in service.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical Spine Disability, Bilateral Ankle Disability, Right Shoulder Joint Disability, Bilateral Foot Joint Disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 19, 2020
- Citation
- 20074478
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 service connection for tinnitus, bilateral hip, knee, and ankle disabilities due to a lack of evidence supporting an in-service injury or continuity of symptomatology. The claim for a psychiatric disorder was also denied as the Veteran's statements were found not credible.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for GERD, OSA, a cervical spine disability, and a thyroid disability to obtain an adequate medical opinion.
- Dismissed
The appeal for an initial compensable rating for GERD was withdrawn, and the claims for service connection for a low back disability, bilateral ankle disability, bilateral knee disability, and right knee disability were denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation based on the need for aid and attendance due to his service-connected disabilities, including bipolar disorder.
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