The Board remands the claims for a bilateral shoulder condition, bilateral knee condition, and kidney infection to obtain a TERA examination and an opinion regarding their relationship to active service in Vietnam.
The deciding factor: A remand is required due to the Veteran's failure to attend scheduled examinations and to address whether the conditions are related to toxic exposure during service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral shoulder condition, bilateral knee condition, kidney infection
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 29, 2024
- Citation
- 24004305
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 the petition to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for a bilateral shoulder condition, but denied petitions to reopen claims for residuals of heat exhaustion, any dysfunction regulating body temperature, and a right ankle condition. The Board also remanded claims for bruxism and a bilateral shoulder condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The claims for service connection for cervical strain, back condition, bilateral knee condition, and left humerus bone tumor are remanded due to the need for further clarification of the Veteran's service dates and outstanding medical records.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, finding that the evidence did not support a finding of a causal relationship between the claimed conditions and active duty service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, bilateral pes planus (flat feet), bilateral ankle condition, bilateral knee condition, and lower back condition as there was no evidence of a current disability or that the disabilities were related to the Veteran's military service.
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