The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development regarding his service-connected conditions and the appropriate disability ratings.
The deciding factor: The decision was previously remanded, and additional evidence or clarification of the Veteran's condition is needed to determine appropriate evaluations.
- Claimed conditions
- Substance Abuse Disorder, Radiculopathy of the left lower sciatic nerve, Degenerative disc and joint disease of the lumbosacral spine, Residuals of a fracture to the L5 vertebral body, Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation due to mitral valve prolapse
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 24, 2021
- Citation
- 21031755
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 21031755.
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 granted a 100 percent rating for the Veteran's psychiatric disability, effective November 15, 2023, due to total occupational and social impairment.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for restoration of a 100 percent rating for PTSD and substance abuse disorder, effective July 1, 2023.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's motion to revise a January 9, 2004 rating decision that reduced his disability rating for degenerative disc and joint disease of the lumbosacral spine from 40% to 20%. The reduction was based on improvement in the Veteran's condition as evidenced by a VA examination report.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to the need for new medical opinions regarding his stroke, eye disorders, and peripheral nerve conditions. The hypertension claim is no longer part of this appeal.
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