The Board remands the claims for service connection for various disabilities, including sinusitis/allergic rhinitis, dry eye disability, right and left hand/wrist disabilities, back and neck disabilities, and left and right foot disabilities, as additional development is needed to address deficiencies in previous VA medical opinions.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that the prior VA medical opinions are inadequate due to failure to consider certain evidence and the Veteran's lay statements, necessitating an addendum opinion or new examination.
- Claimed conditions
- Sinusitis/allergic rhinitis, Dry eye disability, Right hand disability, Left hand disability, Right wrist disability, Left wrist disability, Back disability, Neck disability, Left foot disability, to include bunions, Right foot disability, to include great toe bunion
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 25, 2024
- Citation
- 24003738
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 an initial rating of 20 percent for right lower extremity (RLE) radiculopathy but remanded the back disability claim for further development.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various disabilities, including an acquired psychiatric disability, headaches, a back disability, heart disability, and residuals of a stroke, as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to the Veteran's active service or caused by his service-connected left ear disabilities.
- Partly granted
The Board denied the claims for an initial compensable rating for left ear sensorineural hearing loss, service connection for a right ear hearing loss disability, and a left eye disorder. However, it granted service connection for a back disability and radiculopathy of both lower extremities as secondary to the back disability.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a disability rating in excess of 10 percent for the right ankle disability, but remanded claims for service connection for sinusitis and back disability.
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