The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for residuals, brain tumor surgery with vertigo of central origin and other associated conditions due to a lack of recent VA examination. The issues are now pending before the AOJ.
The deciding factor: The last VA examination was conducted in April 2018 and June 2019, which is more than five years ago. A new examination is necessary to determine the current severity of the Veteran's disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals, brain tumor surgery, deviated nasal septum, chronic sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, blepharospasms, partial paralysis of the 5th facial dermatome, blepharospasms, partial paralysis of the 7th facial dermatome, trismus, migraine with migraine variants
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 22, 2021
- Citation
- 21003747
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 21003747.
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 increased ratings for the Veteran's lumbar spine pain, allergic rhinitis, and recurrent yeast infections. The claims for service connection for generalized anxiety disorder with alcohol use disorder and left knee pain were remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a new examination to determine the severity of the Veteran's allergic rhinitis, including whether there is any nasal obstruction or polyps.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for somatic symptom disorder, respiratory disorders (including COPD), nephrolithiasis, deviated nasal septum, and higher initial disability ratings for PTSD with unspecified depressive disorder with anxious distress and GERD, hiatal hernia, reflux esophagitis, Barrett's esophagus.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a deviated septum and denied compensable ratings for allergic rhinitis, chronic sinusitis, hypothyroidism, and hypertension.
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