The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional VA treatment records and examinations.
The deciding factor: Additional evidence indicates that the Veteran has received more recent VA treatment related to his service-connected disabilities, necessitating a review of these records. The Veteran's disabilities may have worsened since the last VA examinations, warranting new evaluations to determine their current severity.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar strain with degenerative disc disease (DDD) and intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS), raticulopathy of the right lower extremity affecting the sciatic nerve, raticulopathy of the left lower extremity affecting the sciatic nerve, metatarsalgia with painful left second toe, deviated nasal septum
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 7, 2023
- Citation
- 23064974
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 23064974.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's deviated nasal septum was granted service connection. The claims for anxiety and sleep disturbance, erectile dysfunction, headaches, acid reflux, hypertension (high blood pressure), irritable bowel syndrome, and jaw condition were denied.
- Denied
The Board denied a compensable disability rating for the Veteran's deviated nasal septum, finding that there were no compensable symptoms and that the evidence did not support a higher rating.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities alone are of sufficient severity to produce unemployability, meeting the schedular criteria for a TDIU throughout the appeal period. However, conflicting work history makes it impossible to determine his employment status during the period on appeal.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected deviated nasal septum did not meet the criteria for a compensable disability rating, as it did not result in 50-percent obstruction of the nasal passage on both sides or complete obstruction on one side. Therefore, the appeal is denied.
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