The Board has remanded the case due to a duty-to-assist error, specifically regarding the adequacy of the VA examiner's opinion on whether the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus with peripheral neuropathy aggravated his traumatic brain injury.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not provide an opinion regarding whether the Veteran's type I diabetes mellitus caused his traumatic brain injury or whether it aggravated his major neurocognitive disorder due to traumatic brain injury.
- Claimed conditions
- head trauma, type I diabetes mellitus with peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 14, 2023
- Citation
- A23032035
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 A23032035.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew her appeal regarding head trauma, and the Board dismissed it.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for head trauma as there is no persuasive evidence showing the Veteran incurred a head injury or had a diagnosis of head trauma during his active service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for further development and consideration due to errors in obtaining medical opinions related to the Veteran's head trauma, low back pain, and left knee condition.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for head trauma, vision problems, myopia, right hand disability, left knee disability, and left ankle disability was dismissed due to an untimely Notice of Disagreement (NOD).
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