The Board has determined that the VA-contracted examiner's opinions are inadequate and remanded for further development, including obtaining new etiology opinions regarding the Veteran's claimed conditions.
The deciding factor: The VA-contracted examiner did not provide adequate opinions on the direct service connection claims and failed to address whether the Veteran's current disabilities were related to his in-service complaints or injuries.
- Claimed conditions
- Headaches, Cervical spine condition, Right shoulder condition, Left shoulder condition, Right arm numbness, Left arm numbness, Right hand numbness, Left hand numbness, Right knee condition, Left knee condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 3, 2021
- Citation
- 21026408
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 21026408.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's right knee condition as secondary to his service-connected right ankle condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for initial compensable ratings for obstructive sleep apnea and headaches, finding that the evidence does not support a finding of persistent daytime hypersomnolence or other manifestations consistent with a compensable disability rating under the criteria established by Diagnostic Codes. The matter is remanded to obtain additional information from the Veteran regarding his headaches and their impact on his daily life.
- Granted
The Veteran's OSA is granted as secondary to PTSD, but his headaches are denied due to lack of service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for cervical spine condition and left shoulder condition due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error, as VA failed to provide the Veteran with VA examinations and medical opinions to assess the nature and etiology of his conditions.
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