The Board has determined that the VA treatment for nasal congestion, including the prescription of flunisolide and subsequent loss of taste and smell, may have caused or worsened the Veteran's additional disability. The case is being remanded to obtain a medical opinion regarding this issue.
The deciding factor: The April 2017 VA examination did not consider the information provided by the Veteran in his 2022 hearing testimony concerning treatment with a steroid shot to recover the sense of taste and smell, which could have affected the outcome of the claim.
- Claimed conditions
- loss of sense of taste, loss of sense of smell
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 25, 2022
- Citation
- 22030767
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 22030767.
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The Veteran's appeal for earlier effective dates and increased ratings has been withdrawn by the Veteran's attorney, resulting in the dismissal of the appeal.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for service connection for loss of sense of taste, loss of sense of smell, and pelvic condition are denied. The claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder beyond unspecified trauma and stressor related disorder is also denied.
- Granted
The Veteran's effective date for adding his mother as a dependent parent to his VA disability compensation award is granted, with the effective date being November 10, 2022.
- Granted
The Veteran's initial rating for loss of sense of smell associated with Parkinson's disease is denied. A 30 percent rating, but no higher, is granted for balance impairment associated with Parkinson's disease. The reductions in ratings for left and right upper extremity impairments are found to be improper and the previous ratings are restored.
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