The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for lumbosacral spine pain with degenerative disc disease and remanded other issues. Additional development is required to address all claims.
The deciding factor: The Board found new and material evidence sufficient to reopen the claim for service connection for lumbosacral spine pain with degenerative disc disease, but additional development is needed to address all of the Veteran's claims.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbosacral spine pain with degenerative disc disease, allergies, heart disability (also claimed as heart attack), left elbow disability, hypertension, muscle pain, left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, including of the common peroneal nerve, left shoulder disability, sleep apnea, sinus disability, low back disability, to include lumbosacral spine pain with degenerative disc disease as secondary to the service-connected left knee chondromalacia patella, Gulf War unexplained chronic multi-symptom illness as due to an undiagnosed illness
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 15, 2021
- Citation
- 21074435
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 21074435.
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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