The Board has determined that additional evidence is needed to determine the current severity of the Veteran's back disability, rhinitis, and other conditions. The VA will attempt to obtain relevant private treatment records from WHC and Dr. S., as well as any outstanding VA treatment records. A new VA examination will be scheduled for these claims.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there is a need to verify the current severity of the Veteran's back disability, rhinitis, and other conditions due to the lack of recent medical evidence in the record.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis, thoracic and lumbar spine, Maxillary sinusitis, Allergic rhinitis, Left knee disability, Right knee disability, Sleep apnea, Residuals of pneumonia, Type II diabetes mellitus (diabetes), Frostbite of the left hand, Frostbite of the right hand, Hypertension, Peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity, Peripheral neuropathy of the left upper extremity, Peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity, Peripheral neuropathy of the right upper extremity, Right ankle sprain, Stool incontinence, Urine incontinence
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 2, 2023
- Citation
- 23059285
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 23059285.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for chronic headaches, CFS, dermatosis, bilateral RLS, a lumbar spine disability, and sleep apnea but denied a compensable evaluation for allergic rhinitis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II and hypertension, to include as secondary to left orchiectomy, for further development in accordance with the PACT Act.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for Meniere's disease, to include benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), secondary to tinnitus and dismissed the claims for a left knee disability, right knee disability, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
- Partly granted
The Board granted readjudication of previously denied claims for service connection for PTSD and COPD, while remanding other issues including entitlement to service connection for an eye disorder, hypertension, tinnitus, a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, TDIU, and an initial rating for PTSD.
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