The Board has remanded the claim for further development due to conflicting information about which cranial nerves are affected by the Veteran's hoarseness and swallowing difficulties. Updated VA treatment records need to be secured, and an addendum opinion from a VA examiner is required.
The deciding factor: Conflicting evidence regarding which cranial nerves are involved in the Veteran's symptoms necessitates further clarification through updated medical records and additional examination.
- Claimed conditions
- hoarseness, swallowing difficulties
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 13, 2024
- Citation
- 24011909
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 24011909.
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 is granted an effective date of January 8, 2020 for SMC based on the need for regular aid and attendance due to service-connected chronic seronegative myasthenia gravis and hoarseness.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for sleep disability, higher initial ratings for left lower extremity weakness and speech (aphonia) and swallowing difficulties, and an increased rating for thrombosis, transient ischemic attack with left upper extremity weakness due to outstanding private treatment records and inadequate examination reports.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of January 10, 2017, for the award of service connection for hoarseness, swallowing difficulties, and constipation associated with multiple sclerosis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remanded the Veteran's claims for further examination and evidence collection, as the previous VA examination did not adequately capture the severity of the Veteran's disabilities during flaring episodes.
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