The Board remands the claims for service connection and initial disability ratings to ensure compliance with previous remand instructions.
The deciding factor: Further development is necessary to obtain relevant VA treatment records, provide new examinations, and address the Veteran's reported symptoms in light of recent legal developments.
- Claimed conditions
- left leg disorder, right leg disorder, left hand disorder, right hand disorder, migraines, frequent urination, low back disability (thoracolumbar spine status post discectomy with residual intervertebral disc syndrome and degenerative arthritis), right lower extremity radiculopathy, right elbow bursitis, right hip strain with limitation of extension, right hip strain with limitation of flexion, right hip strain with limitation of adduction, left hip strain with limitation of extension, left hip strain with limitation of flexion, right knee patellofemoral syndrome, left knee patellofemoral syndrome, left foot plantar fasciitis, bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, left testicle vasocongestion, status post head concussion (with a 10% rating from September 1, 2010 to April 20, 2017 and a 30% rating thereafter), head scar status post head concussion, lumbar scar status post discectomy, umbilicus scar status post hernia repair surgery
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 6, 2021
- Citation
- 21062061
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 an effective date of October 21, 2021, for the grant of service connection for hypertension.
- Dismissed
The appeal for a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss, service connection for right ear hearing loss, and bilateral vision condition was dismissed. Service connection for hypertension, congestive heart failure, and coronary artery disease was denied.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
- Partly granted
The Veteran was granted a 70 percent initial disability rating for PTSD effective December 2, 2021, but the claim for an increased rating in excess of 70 percent was denied. The appeal also included claims for service connection and ratings for various conditions, some of which were granted while others were remanded.
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