The Board remands the issues of service connection for various disorders and an increased rating for chronic mild lumbosacral strain due to inadequate VA examinations.
The deciding factor: The current VA examinations are found to be inadequate as they do not address how the Veteran's service-connected condition may have affected her other joints during and post-service, nor do they provide a comprehensive assessment of the functional impairment caused by pain in these joints.
- Claimed conditions
- right foot disorder, left foot disorder, right ankle disorder, left ankle disorder, right knee disorder, left knee disorder, left hip disorder, right hip disorder, radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, radiculopathy of the left lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 12, 2022
- Citation
- 22001567
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including a head injury, headache disorder, erectile dysfunction, left earache disorder, chronic fatigue, right shoulder disorder, irritable bowel syndrome, right foot disorder, GERD, and left shoulder disorder, as the evidence did not support current diagnoses of these conditions.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's death while it was pending.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for PTSD, diabetes mellitus, type II, migraines, left and right knee disorders, and obstructive sleep apnea due to missing military records and inadequate examinations.
- Dismissed
The appeal regarding the proposed reduction of the Veteran's disability rating for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity was dismissed as it was not a final decision. The Board also remanded the claim for service connection for a left hip disability due to an inadequate VA examination.
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