The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for dizziness/vertigo and nose bleeds, to include as secondary to dizziness/vertigo due to lack of a medical opinion addressing the Veteran's lay statements about in-service exposure to toxic smoke and fire suppressive chemicals causing his symptoms.
The deciding factor: The Board found that an adequate medical opinion is needed to address the Veteran's lay testimony regarding in-service exposures leading to current symptoms.
- Claimed conditions
- dizziness/vertigo, nose bleeds
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 22, 2021
- Citation
- 21016200
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 21016200.
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 an initial compensable rating for allergic rhinitis and chronic sinusitis, as well as service connection for nose bleeds. The Veteran's VA treatment records from December 2021 to April 2022 need to be obtained, and a medical opinion is required regarding the etiology of his nose bleeds.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's dizziness/vertigo is now rated at 10 percent disabling effective June 27, 2018.,However, the Veteran's TBI with PTSD remains rated at 70 percent, which is not in excess of what was requested.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for service connection for various conditions, finding that the appeal was untimely filed.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. The appeals for hypertension, dizziness/vertigo, and headaches have been dismissed due to withdrawal by the Veteran.
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