The Board remands the appeal for further development due to inadequate medical examinations and to address the Veteran's lay statements regarding the severity of his conditions.
The deciding factor: The claims must be remanded because there has not been substantial compliance with previous remand directives, specifically regarding the adequacy of the VA examinations provided.
- Claimed conditions
- Residuals of a gunshot wound (left upper extremity), Lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis, Radiculopathy of the left lower extremity with a history of sural nerve grafting, Radiculopathy of the right lower extremity with a history of sural nerve grafting
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 4, 2022
- Citation
- 22000301
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a lumbar spine disorder, namely lumbar spondylosis, lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis, and intervertebral disc syndrome as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected retropatellar syndrome, arthritis and meniscal strain, right knee.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for increased ratings for left shoulder impingement syndrome, left foot sprain, and lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis due to inadequate VA examinations.
- Dismissed
The claim for a total disability rating for individual unemployability is dismissed because the Veteran's 100 percent rating for coronary artery disease renders the issue moot.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
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