The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inadequate medical opinions and need for further examination.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners' opinions were found to be inadequate, lacking in detail and based on insufficient evidence. The Veteran needs another VA examination to provide a more detailed opinion regarding her conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease of the thoracolumbar spine, Left ankle condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 23, 2020
- Citation
- 20080816
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 readjudication of the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, aphthous ulcers, a right elbow condition, an enlarged prostate, a right ankle disorder, and a left ankle disorder as no new and relevant evidence was received.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an earlier effective date of September 1, 2016, for the 40 percent rating assigned for degenerative disc disease of the thoracolumbar spine and denied a rating in excess of 40 percent.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a left ankle condition, sleep apnea, lower back condition, and right hip condition as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected bilateral pes planus, bilateral hallux valgus, degenerative joint disease of the right knee, and right ankle calcaneal spur.
- Partly granted
The Board denied an initial compensable disability rating for hypertension and remanded the claims for service connection for a left ankle condition and bilateral hearing loss due to inadequate VA examinations.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.