The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current pulmonary disability and has not had one at any time during the pendency of the claim or recent to the filing of the claim. The Veteran's hemorrhoids are rated under Diagnostic Code 7336, for external or internal hemorrhoids. An additional VA examination is required to assess the current severity of his hemorrhoids. For the gastrointestinal (GI) disability, gastritis, an additional VA examination is required to determine whether the Veteran has a chronic gastrointestinal disability that had its onset during service. For the right knee and cervical spine disabilities, an additional VA examination is required to address whether the Veteran's conditions had their onset during service or are otherwise related to his active duty service. For the right shoulder disability, an additional VA examination is required to address whether the pre-existing right shoulder strain was aggravated by the Veteran's active duty service.
The deciding factor: The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current pulmonary disability and has not had one at any time during the pendency of the claim or recent to the filing of the claim. The Veteran's hemorrhoids are rated under Diagnostic Code 7336, for external or internal hemorrhoids. An additional VA examination is required to assess the current severity of his hemorrhoids. For the gastrointestinal (GI) disability, gastritis, an additional VA examination is required to determine whether the Veteran has a chronic gastrointestinal disability that had its onset during service. For the right knee and cervical spine disabilities, an additional VA examination is required to address whether the Veteran's conditions had their onset during service or are otherwise related to his active duty service. For the right shoulder disability, an additional VA examination is required to address whether the pre-existing right shoulder strain was aggravated by the Veteran's active duty service.
- Claimed conditions
- Pulmonary disability (including positive PPD skin test), Hemorrhoids, Gastritis, Right knee strain, Cervical spine disability (including cervical spondylosis), Right shoulder impingement syndrome with strain, Left knee strain
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 19, 2022
- Citation
- 22058568
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 22058568.
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 the Veteran's claim for service connection of a right knee disability, finding that there was no nexus between his current condition and active duty service.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for cervical spine strain, right wrist sprain, right knee strain, left knee strain, and right ankle strain. The disabilities are all deemed to have begun during the Veteran's active duty.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal for an increased evaluation of his hemorrhoids, so the case is dismissed.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for service connection of a right knee condition due to inadequate VA opinions and incomplete record development regarding his National Guard service.
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