The Veteran's claims for a rating in excess of 10 percent for right knee patellofemoral dysfunction, service connection for hypertension, left knee disability, psychiatric disorder, bilateral plantar fasciitis, and left ear hearing loss are remanded due to inadequate examination reports.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension is remanded as the examiner did not address whether in-service elevated blood pressure readings could have been an early manifestation of later diagnosed hypertension.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for a left knee disability is remanded because the VA examiner did not consider objective signs and symptoms of his left knee complaints, including a history of left knee sprain from employee health clinic records.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder is remanded as the VA examiner did not address the Veteran's VA treatment records which show treatment for adjustment disorder, depression, and anxiety during the period on appeal.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral plantar fasciitis is remanded due to incomplete medical records from his private podiatrist being sought.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss is remanded as VA treatment records are needed to determine if an audiogram conducted by the Veteran's private physician, Dr. N.A.O., around April 2010 exists.,The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 30 percent for migraine headaches from September 22, 2014 is remanded as updated employment records are needed to determine missed time due to migraines and the Social Security Administration records have not been obtained.,The Veteran's TDIU claim is remanded as his July 2020 Application for Increased Compensation Based on Unemployability raised this issue.
The deciding factor: The examination reports are inadequate, particularly regarding functional loss in the right knee and left knee. The VA examiner did not consider objective signs of pain or impairment in the left knee.,The examiner did not address whether in-service elevated blood pressure readings could have been an early manifestation of later diagnosed hypertension.,The VA examiner did not consider the Veteran's history of left knee sprain from employee health clinic records and did not provide a nexus opinion regarding his current left knee disability.,The VA examiner did not consider the Veteran's VA treatment records which show treatment for adjustment disorder, depression, and anxiety during the period on appeal.,Private podiatrist treatment records are needed to determine if an audiogram conducted by Dr. N.A.O. around April 2010 exists.,Updated employment records are needed to document missed time due to migraines and Social Security Administration records have not been obtained.,The Veteran's TDIU claim is remanded as his July 2020 Application for Increased Compensation Based on Unemployability raised this issue.
- Claimed conditions
- right knee patellofemoral dysfunction, hypertension, left knee disability (including left knee sprain), psychiatric disorder, bilateral plantar fasciitis, left ear hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 7, 2023
- Citation
- 23007969
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 23007969.
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.
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The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
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The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
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The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to conflicting opinions regarding service connection for peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and skin disabilities related to herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and increased rating for anxiety disorder have been denied. The Board found that there is no evidence of a current disability meeting the criteria for hypertension, and the Veteran's anxiety disorder does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
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