The Board remands the claims for additional development, including obtaining private treatment records and scheduling VA examinations to determine the current level of severity of all impairment resulting from the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: Additional development is required before the claims on appeal are decided due to outstanding private treatment records and the need for updated VA examinations.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss disability, bilateral pes planus, tendonitis, bipolar disorder with anxiety disorder, cervical strain, thoracic and lumbar strain with intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS) and spondylolysis at L5, radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, carpal tunnel syndrome of the right upper extremity, total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities (TDIU)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 5, 2022
- Citation
- 22000550
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 withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Partly granted
The Board granted higher ratings for the Veteran's service-connected carpal tunnel syndrome and cubital tunnel syndrome of both upper extremities, but remanded claims for service connection for sinusitis, calcified lymph nodes on the lungs, and cervical strain.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for multiple conditions, including an acquired psychiatric disorder, sleep apnea, hypertension, and various musculoskeletal and skin disabilities.
- 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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