The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the Veteran's claims for service connection for left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. The claims are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations regarding the etiology of these conditions.
The deciding factor: The Board found that new evidence related to exposure to Agent Orange or a genetic disorder may support service connection for left and right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and hearing loss and tinnitus may be related to noise exposure during service. Therefore, additional medical examinations are needed to determine the etiology of these conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 23, 2020
- Citation
- 20080960
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for left and right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, finding that the conditions are related to Agent Orange exposure during the Veteran's service in Vietnam.
- Partly granted
The appeal was granted for service connection for latent tuberculosis and dermatitis of the face, while other claims were denied.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for segmental colitis associated with diverticulosis, small bowel obstruction, to include small bowel perforation, status post left hemicolectomy, Hartman's pouch and ileostomy (bowel condition), as well as right and left upper and lower extremity peripheral neuropathy.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy due to a finding that an adequate VA medical opinion was not obtained.
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