The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for venous insufficiency and lymphedema, as well as her claim for TDIU, require additional development to ensure all theories of service-connection are adequately considered.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not consider secondary service-connection with obesity as an intermediate step between the Veteran's service-connected conditions, specifically those that could have caused weight gain or obesity, such as major depressive disorder. The Board finds this opinion inadequate and requires further examination to address these theories of service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- venous insufficiency, lymphedema
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 2, 2022
- Citation
- 22043768
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 22043768.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's lymphedema, which may be related to Agent Orange exposure or service-connected conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's appeal is remanded due to new evidence submitted after the initial decision, which includes private dermatologist treatment records diagnosing lymphedema. The VA examiner's opinion prior to this submission was deemed inadequate.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a duty-to-assist error and for a new VA examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for post-phlebitic syndrome, left and right lower extremities due to a duty-to-assist error in the prior rating decision. The VA examination was inadequate as it did not consider the Veteran's lay statements of symptoms and the prescription for special compression appliances.
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