The Board has remanded the claim for additional development, including obtaining updated employment information and a VA vocational specialist's opinion on the Veteran's employability due to his service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: Further development is required as the AOJ needs to obtain updated employment information from the Veteran and schedule an examination by a VA vocational specialist to assess the impact of the Veteran's service-connected disabilities on his ability to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.
- Claimed conditions
- herniated disc disease of the lumbar spine with status post surgery at L5-S1 with opaque prosthetic endplates in the interspace, right lower extremity radiculopathy, right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome, left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome, tinnitus, left lower extremity radiculopathy, bilateral hearing loss, erectile dysfunction
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 16, 2021
- Citation
- 21015050
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 21015050.
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 service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction was denied as the evidence did not show that he had been diagnosed and manifested to at least a 10 percent disability rating on or prior to May 8, 2001.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
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