The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for left and right lower extremity disabilities, as well as the claim for an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder and a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss disability. The remand includes obtaining VA and private treatment records, scheduling examinations to evaluate the Veteran's lower extremities, psychiatric condition, and hearing loss, and reviewing the January 2014 VA examiner’s opinion.
The deciding factor: The Board found that additional evidence was needed due to possible worsening of the Veteran's disabilities since his last evaluations in January 2014, and remanded for further examinations and consideration of new records.
- Claimed conditions
- left lower extremity disability, right lower extremity disability (residuals of a ligament repair)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 3, 2020
- Citation
- 20076991
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 20076991.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for cervical spine, lumbar spine, and bilateral lower extremity disabilities due to insufficient medical evidence of record. A new VA examination is required for these claims.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the service connection claims for an acquired psychiatric disability, PTSD, left lower extremity disability, and right lower extremity disability due to a procedural error in providing notice of the Veteran's right to a hearing before the AOJ.
- Granted
The Veteran's Parkinson's disease and related conditions have necessitated a higher level of care, including hospitalization and skilled home health care. The Board has granted SMC at the (r)(2) rate based on this need.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection regarding bilateral hearing loss and a left lower extremity disability has been dismissed due to the appellant requesting withdrawal of the appeal.
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