The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for sickle cell trait and beta thalassemia due to inadequate VA opinions. The Veteran's sickle cell trait is being examined again, and a secondary service connection opinion on bilateral pes planus must be provided.
The deciding factor: The VA opinions obtained were insufficient as they did not address the specific questions regarding the increase in severity of sickle cell trait during service or whether it was due to natural progression.
- Claimed conditions
- sickle cell trait, beta thalassemia
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 6, 2023
- Citation
- 23048770
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 23048770.
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 case due to a lack of consideration of aggravation in the existing medical opinion. The Veteran's beta thalassemia is claimed as service-connected, but there is no evidence provided regarding whether it was aggravated during service.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for sickle cell trait as it is a congenital defect not subject to service connection. The right knee condition was remanded due to an incomplete medical opinion regarding its etiology.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a need for additional development regarding the Veteran's claim for service connection for sickle cell trait.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection have been improperly adjudicated due to a failure to obtain all relevant medical records and Social Security disability records. The case is being remanded to correct this error.
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