The Board has found that a remand is necessary for the Veteran's claims due to lack of substantial compliance with prior Board remand directives. The Veteran's bilateral knee condition and Sjögren's Syndrome, including Sicca Syndrome, are related to her exposure to hazardous fumes from burn pits during service in Southwest Asia.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners did not address the Veteran’s presumed exposure to hazardous fumes from burn pits during service in Southwest Asia and whether such is related to her current knee conditions or Sicca Syndrome.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral knee condition, Sjögren's Syndrome, to include Sicca Syndrome
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 21, 2020
- Citation
- 20080264
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 Board denied service connection for GERD and remanded the claims for bilateral ankle, knee, hip, headache, and lower back conditions due to insufficient evidence.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a lower back condition, and a left hip condition. The right hip and bilateral knee conditions were remanded for further development.
- Denied
The appeal to reverse or revise a September 2005 rating decision that denied service connection for bilateral foot and knee conditions on the basis of clear and unmistakable error (CUE) was denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for further development and to obtain additional evidence.
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