The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional examinations and opinions to address the etiology of his diagnosed conditions, including vertigo. The claims are also remanded for further development regarding service connection.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that the current evidence does not provide sufficient information to determine whether any of the Veteran's diagnoses have their onset in or are otherwise related to active duty, and therefore requires additional examination and opinion.
- Claimed conditions
- adjustment disorder with depressed mood with other specified trauma and stressor-related disorder, lumbosacral strain, degenerative arthritis of the spine, bilateral knee strain, mild medial femoral tibial degenerative changes in the knees, cervical strain, tension headaches, cubital tunnel syndrome of the bilateral upper extremities, carpal tunnel syndrome of the left upper extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 31, 2023
- Citation
- A23030332
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 A23030332.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the claims on appeal, including obtaining any outstanding treatment records and scheduling VA examinations to assess the current severity of service-connected disabilities. The Veteran's representative also requested reevaluation of his service-connected disabilities.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for service connection for asthma and a 10 percent rating based on multiple noncompensable service-connected disabilities were dismissed. The claim of entitlement to a compensable rating for eczema was denied, while the claim of entitlement to allergic rhinitis was not addressed as it pertained to different issues.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claims for lumbosacral strain, asthma, melasma and hydradenitis, hypertension, an acquired psychiatric disorder (claimed as depression, anxiety, and stress), left shoulder disorder, right shoulder disorder, left knee disorder, a left foot disorder, and IBS have been granted. The remaining issues are remanded.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for headaches as secondary to his service-connected sleep apnea, tinnitus, cervical spine disability, and GERD. The decision is based on a finding of relative equipoise between the conflicting opinions regarding causation.
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