The Board remands the claims for further development, including obtaining additional medical evidence and opinions to address the Veteran's assertions of in-service incurrence or aggravation of his claimed disabilities.
The deciding factor: The December 2020 VA examination reports were found inadequate due to lack of specific findings regarding pain with weightbearing and non-weightbearing, as well as a failure to consider all relevant evidence. The private medical opinion was also deemed inadequate for the same reasons.
- Claimed conditions
- right ankle disability, right hip disability, left hip disability, cervical spine disability, migraine disability, right knee disability, radiculopathy of the left lower extremity (LLE), radiculopathy of the right lower extremity (RLE)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 12, 2021
- Citation
- 21062725
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for tinnitus, cubital tunnel syndrome, right plantar fasciitis, and a right knee disability due to the lack of evidence supporting a nexus between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including bilateral hearing loss and various musculoskeletal issues, as well as an initial rating in excess of 0 percent for rhinitis. However, the Board granted a 70 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various disabilities to the AOJ for further development and consideration of evidence not previously considered.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 20 percent disability rating for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy from April 3, 2023 onward, but denied higher ratings prior to that date. Service connection was also granted for alcohol use disorder as secondary to PTSD with traumatic brain injury.
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