The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including olivopontocerebellar atrophy and its secondary effects. The issues are related to aggravation of preexisting conditions during military service.
The deciding factor: The opinion provided by VA is inadequate as it does not address whether a preexisting disorder was aggravated during the Veteran's active military duty or if any increase in disability was due to natural progress.
- Claimed conditions
- olivopontocerebellar atrophy, right lower extremity weakness with limitation of use, right upper extremity weakness with limitation of use and inability to write, left upper extremity weakness with limitation of use, loss of ability to close mouth with drooling, right side, inability to swallow with placement of feeding tube, left side, loss of speech, loss of ability to close mouth with drooling, left side, left lower extremity weakness with limitation of use
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 3, 2023
- Citation
- 23042737
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 23042737.
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 Veteran's oral cancer, which caused his death, is being remanded for a VA opinion to determine its relationship to service exposure at Camp Lejeune and/or herbicide exposure from Vietnam. Additionally, the bilateral lower extremity disorders are also being remanded for a VA opinion on their relation to diabetes mellitus.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death, and no jurisdiction remains for the merits of this claim.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for olivopontocerebellar atrophy (OPCA), finding that it was not related to his service or exposure to Agent Orange.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the veteran's neurological disability, including as a result of herbicide exposure. The claim was based on direct evidence and not on any presumption related to Agent Orange exposure.
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