The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including right and left elbow disabilities, thoracic and lumbar spine disabilities, right knee disability (other than Osgood-Schlatter's disease), left knee disability (other than Osgood-Schlatter's disease), and compensation under 38 C.F.R. § 3.317 for an undiagnosed illness or medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illness.
The deciding factor: The Board has remanded the claims due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of the Veteran's diagnosed disabilities, including those not yet associated with a diagnosed disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Elbow Strain, Left Elbow Chondromalacia, Thoracic Spine Degenerative Disc Disease, Lumbar Spine Degenerative Disc Disease, Right Knee Osgood-Schlatter's Disease (not claimed), Left Knee Osgood-Schlatter's Disease (not claimed), Metatarsalgia of the Right Foot, Hallux Valgus of the Right Foot, Lower Extremity Swelling and Right Hand/Finger Pain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 15, 2021
- Citation
- 21014578
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 21014578.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 70 percent, and the Board has determined that his symptoms do not warrant a higher rating. The claims for increased ratings of lumbar spine disability, bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, and TDIU are being remanded.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for right elbow strain is dismissed. The claim for service connection for a right wrist condition, including right wrist strain and carpal tunnel syndrome, is granted but remanded for further development.
- Denied
The Board denied initial disability ratings for various conditions, including GERD, shoulder strain, elbow strains, lumbosacral strain, and knee conditions. A separate rating was granted for right lower extremity radiculopathy due to the service-connected lumbosacral spine disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection and increased ratings for IBS, lumbar spine degenerative disc disease, and left knee iliotibial band friction syndrome with history of early medial and patellofemoral compartment arthritis to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors.
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