The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for back, right shoulder, left shoulder, right ankle, and left ankle conditions due to a lack of examination related to toxic exposure risk activities (TERA) under the PACT Act and an undiagnosed illness.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's symptoms have not been fully evaluated to determine whether or not there is a diagnosis for his claimed disabilities. A medical examination is needed to address the requirement under the PACT Act to provide an examination addressing a direct nexus between toxic exposures and the Veteran's claimed disabilities, as well as an evaluation for an undiagnosed illness.
- Claimed conditions
- Back condition, Right shoulder condition, Left shoulder condition, Right ankle condition, Left ankle condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 8, 2023
- Citation
- A23031363
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 A23031363.
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 decided to remand the Veteran's claims for cervical spine condition and left shoulder condition due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error, as VA failed to provide the Veteran with VA examinations and medical opinions to assess the nature and etiology of his conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for service connection of his back condition due to inadequate medical opinion and failure to consider all relevant evidence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for service connection of his back condition due to inadequate medical opinion and failure to consider all relevant evidence.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected PTSD has prevented him from securing and maintaining gainful employment throughout the appeal period, leading to a grant of TDIU. The issue of service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome was withdrawn by the appellant.
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