The Board has remanded several claims for further development due to incomplete records and the need for additional medical opinions. The Veteran's service connection claims are being returned to VA for these purposes.
The deciding factor: VA needs to obtain missing STRs, associate new VA treatment records with the file, and provide a supplemental VA examination for each of the service-connected conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- asthma, rhinitis medicamentosa/chronic pharyngitis (claimed as sinusitis), back disability, mild lumbar spondylosis with associated muscle spasm, left lower extremity neuropathy, right lower extremity neuropathy, left lower extremity radiculopathy, right lower extremity radiculopathy, acquired psychiatric disorder (variously claimed as depression not otherwise specified, a nervous disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD))
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 9, 2020
- Citation
- 20077799
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 20077799.
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 Veteran's respiratory disability, including asthma and COPD, is denied as service connection is not warranted due to the condition being solely attributed to smoking.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals were dismissed due to the death of the appellant. The issues related to service connection for various conditions and disability ratings.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the cases of sleep apnea and asthma due to a failure to provide proper notice for a hearing.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability.
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