The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected bilateral flat foot and has remanded the issue of entitlement to service connection for polycythemia and erythrocytosis. The case is being returned to the RO with instructions to obtain missing VA and private treatment records, provide a VA examination, and consider the etiology of the Veteran's blood disorder.
The deciding factor: The claim for service connection for polycythemia and erythrocytosis requires evidence indicating that there may be a nexus between the current disability and active service, including the Veteran’s exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. The case is being remanded to obtain missing records and provide an examination.
- Claimed conditions
- polycythemia, erythrocytosis
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 30, 2020
- Citation
- 20081557
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 service connection for a right knee disability, left knee disability, polycythemia, and bilateral hearing loss as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to the Veteran's active duty service.
- Granted
The Board granted a 60 percent rating for polycythemia based on the Veteran undergoing phlebotomy 6 times within a 12-month period.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and polycythemia, both related to the Veteran's military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for polycythemia was remanded due to errors in the VA's duty to assist. The Board needs more information to decide the claim.
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