The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for cardiovascular conditions, low back condition, type II diabetes mellitus, and schizophrenia due to insufficient medical nexus evidence. The Veteran contends these conditions are secondary to his service-connected substance abuse disorder.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not provide a sufficient rationale for their opinions regarding the causal relationship between the Veteran's service-connected substance abuse disorder and his claimed disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- cardiovascular condition (including hypertension and cardiomyopathy), low back condition, type II diabetes mellitus, schizophrenia
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 15, 2021
- Citation
- 21022280
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 21022280.
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 a back disorder, high blood pressure, and type II diabetes mellitus due to errors in development of the claim.
- Granted
The Veteran's schizophrenia is rated at 70 percent, indicating significant impairment in work and social functioning.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection of his low back condition, finding that it is related to his military service.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a neck condition and a low back condition, finding that the Veteran's current diagnoses are related to his military service.
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