The Board has previously remanded these matters for evidentiary development. The VA examinations and medical opinions have been obtained, but the Board finds that the November 2020 VA opinions are inadequate and requires another remand.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner's opinions rely heavily on the absence of evidence in the Veteran’s service treatment records without explaining why an absence of treatment is medically significant. The VA examiner did not consider the Veteran's lay statements regarding his physical activities during service or his exposure to herbicide agents, and did not discuss such in the opinions or accompanying rationale.
- Claimed conditions
- cervical spine disability, hypertension, hypothyroidism
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 15, 2021
- Citation
- 21014724
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 21014724.
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 Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to conflicting opinions regarding service connection for peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and skin disabilities related to herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and increased rating for anxiety disorder have been denied. The Board found that there is no evidence of a current disability meeting the criteria for hypertension, and the Veteran's anxiety disorder does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
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