The Board has dismissed the claim of entitlement to a disability rating greater than 20 percent prior to April 9, 2019, and greater than 40 percent thereafter, for a lumbosacral spine disability. The appeal is remanded for further development regarding service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability other than PTSD (to include anxiety and depression) and for a cardiac disability.
The deciding factor: The Veteran withdrew his appeal for the rating of the lumbosacral spine disability, leaving only the issues of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability and a cardiac disability to be addressed.
- Claimed conditions
- loss of sense of smell, anxiety and depression, coronary artery disease or ischemic heart disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 12, 2021
- Citation
- 21002179
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 21002179.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for earlier effective dates and increased ratings has been withdrawn by the Veteran's attorney, resulting in the dismissal of the appeal.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for service connection for loss of sense of taste, loss of sense of smell, and pelvic condition are denied. The claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder beyond unspecified trauma and stressor related disorder is also denied.
- Granted
The Veteran's effective date for adding his mother as a dependent parent to his VA disability compensation award is granted, with the effective date being November 10, 2022.
- Granted
The Veteran's initial rating for loss of sense of smell associated with Parkinson's disease is denied. A 30 percent rating, but no higher, is granted for balance impairment associated with Parkinson's disease. The reductions in ratings for left and right upper extremity impairments are found to be improper and the previous ratings are restored.
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