The Board has determined that there has not been substantial compliance with the remand directives and another remand is required for further development, including verification of exposure to environmental toxins and addendum opinions regarding the etiology of diagnosed disabilities.
The deciding factor: The decision was remanded in February 2019 but did not include specific instructions on verifying exposure to environmental toxins. The Veteran has now conceded exposure to PCBs, which is a form of environmental toxin. Additional development is needed to verify other potential exposures and obtain addendum opinions regarding the etiology of diagnosed disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral knee disability, heart disability, gynecological disability, skin disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- September 23, 2022
- Citation
- 22054335
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 22054335.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a bilateral shoulder disability and increased ratings for her bilateral knee disabilities, finding no evidence of in-service injury or disease related to these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for a neurological examination to determine if any diagnosed radiculopathy or other neurological disability affecting the lower extremities was caused or aggravated by service-connected conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's skin disability is remanded for a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of his condition, including whether it is related to service or toxic exposure risk activities. The Veteran also needs to provide authorization forms for private treatment records.
- Granted
The Veteran's hypertension was granted service connection effective August 10, 2022. The heart disability was granted secondary to the hypertension.,An initial rating of 30% for the heart disability was granted in May 2023 and increased to 60% since October 22, 2024.
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