The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and effective dates have been withdrawn. The Board finds that the reduction of his disability rating from 30 percent to 10 percent was improper, and restored the original 30 percent evaluation.,The Veteran has been granted service connection for ischemic heart disease and prostate cancer, both presumed due to herbicide exposure in Thailand.
The deciding factor: The Veteran withdrew his appeals on increased ratings and effective dates. The Board found that the reduction of disability rating was improper and restored the original rating.,The Veteran's service record shows he served near the perimeter of Udorn RTAFB, where herbicide exposure is presumed due to his duties as a fuel systems technician.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the spine, Psoriasis, Left knee strain with scars (based on limitation of extension), Left knee strain with scars (based on limitation of flexion)
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 9, 2023
- Citation
- 23014439
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 23014439.
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 degenerative arthritis of the spine, right knee degenerative arthritis, left knee degenerative arthritis, right ankle degenerative arthritis, and left ankle degenerative arthritis.
- Granted
The Veteran's low back disability is rated at 50 percent effective February 13, 2021. His left lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy is rated at 80 percent from April 21, 2013 to February 12, 2021. The Veteran's TDIU claim has an earlier effective date of April 21, 2013.
- Granted
The Veteran's back condition is granted an increased disability rating of 40 percent, but no higher. The claims for service connection for LLE and RLE radiculopathies are remanded.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's lumbar spine, left knee, and right knee disabilities on a direct basis, finding that these conditions began during active service.
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