The Board remands the claims for a back disability, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, a bilateral leg disability and an eye disability to obtain additional medical evidence and opinions.
The deciding factor: The April 2023 VA examination was found inadequate due to multiple deficiencies, including lack of rationale and conflicting statements. The May 2023 VA examiner also failed to provide adequate rationale for the eye condition. New examinations are required to address these issues.
- Claimed conditions
- back disability, to include thoracic spinal cord syrinx, bilateral leg disability other than peripheral neuropathy, to include muscle atrophy, eye disability, to include cone-rod dystrophy, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 30, 2024
- Citation
- 24004570
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 837 · Granted: 24% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 24004570.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities, and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his active service or any related exposure.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for increased evaluations and service connection were dismissed due to his death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that the Veteran does not have a current respiratory disability other than sleep apnea. The claims for abdominal pain, type I diabetes, peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, and an immune disorder are remanded due to a duty to assist error.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for chronic lymphocytic leukemia, ischemic heart disease, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to in-service exposure to toxins related to his military occupational specialty as a Fire Protection Specialist.
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