The Board has remanded the case due to uncertainty in attributing symptoms of fainting spells and vasovagal episodes of syncope to the service-connected condition. The Veteran's June 2016 examiner diagnosed psychomotor epilepsy, but his November 2019 examination focused on paralysis of the tenth cranial nerve.
The deciding factor: The Board is seeking a medical opinion from a neurologist to determine which symptoms are related to the service-connected fainting and syncope disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- fainting spells, vasovagal episodes of syncope
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 16, 2021
- Citation
- 21074962
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 21074962.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claims for service connection have been dismissed due to his election to opt into the Appeals Modernization Act (AMA) system as a supplemental claim, leaving the Board without jurisdiction in the Legacy Appeal System.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various conditions due to predecisional duty to assist errors, including scheduling VA examinations.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for sickle cell trait and fainting spells as secondary to sickle cell trait due to a lack of objective medical evidence showing any disability or symptoms related to these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the VA medical opinions obtained prior to the September 2023 rating decision on appeal are inadequate and remands the claims for a new VA medical opinion.
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