The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hammertoes, hypertension, muscle and joint disorders of various body parts, upper and lower gastrointestinal tract disorders, eye disorder, sleep apnea, surgical scars, and headache disorder due to incomplete service records and need for additional medical opinions.
The deciding factor: Incomplete service records prevented a determination on the Veteran's claims. Additional medical opinions are needed to address the etiology of his current muscle and joint disorders.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hammertoes, hypertension, muscle and joint disorders of the left wrist, left thumb, right wrist, right elbow, left hip, right hip, and right knee, upper gastrointestinal tract disorder (GERD), lower gastrointestinal tract disorder (gallbladder and pancreatic disorder), eye disorder (presbyopia, refractive error, hypermetropia, conjunctival hemorrhage with left eye vision loss), sleep apnea, surgical scars located on the chest, stomach, and left lower extremity, headache disorder, cardiovascular disorder other than hypertension (coronary artery disease)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 27, 2021
- Citation
- 21065660
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 21065660.
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 claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to conflicting opinions regarding service connection for peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and skin disabilities related to herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and increased rating for anxiety disorder have been denied. The Board found that there is no evidence of a current disability meeting the criteria for hypertension, and the Veteran's anxiety disorder does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
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