The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete medical opinions and the need for a supplemental opinion regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's cognitive disability, whether it is distinct from his service-connected PTSD, and if it is related to service or aggravated by his service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: Incomplete medical opinions were provided in previous examinations, necessitating a supplemental opinion to address these issues.
- Claimed conditions
- Cognitive Disability
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 6, 2021
- Citation
- 21062253
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,170 · Granted: 38% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 21062253.
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 case due to insufficient opinions from VA examiners regarding whether the Veteran's claimed additional disabilities were caused by VA prescribed medications for hypertension, and if so, whether they were reasonably foreseeable.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's claims, including service connection for multiple sclerosis and other disabilities. The main reasons are that VA examiners have not provided opinions on whether these conditions are related to service or specific exposures.,Several of the issues involve a sleep disability, which is being remanded due to insufficient information about its relationship with service-connected psychiatric disability or multiple sclerosis.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a cognitive disability, diagnosed as cognitive disorder not otherwise specified (NOS), based on the Veteran's exposure to mercury in service and her reported symptoms.
- Denied
The Board found that there was no evidence linking the Veteran's current cognitive disability to his service, including any head injuries sustained in service. The cognitive impairment is more likely related to a cardiac arrest and subsequent anoxic brain injury in 2001.
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