The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings are being remanded due to outstanding private treatment records, a newly raised theory of claim regarding open burning of documents, and the need for additional medical opinions.
The deciding factor: There is insufficient evidence in the record to fully evaluate the Veteran's conditions, including his service-connected diabetes and exposure to contaminants at Camp Lejeune. Additional medical opinions are needed to address these issues.
- Claimed conditions
- right shoulder osteoarthritis, hepatocellular liver disease (fatty liver disease/hepatic steatosis), cervical spine osteoarthritis, lumbar spine disability, chronic bladder cystitis
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 13, 2022
- Citation
- 22068462
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 22068462.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claims for miscarriage, cervical spine disability, lumbar spine disability, and right elbow disability due to insufficient examination opinions and incomplete service history verification.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee disability, right knee disability, lumbar spine disability, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as these issues have been addressed in a separate docket.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection of various conditions due to untimely filing of the appeal.
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