The Board has decided to remand the claims for service connection for peripheral neuropathy of both upper extremities due to a lack of adequate medical opinion and potential pre-decisional duty to assist error.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner's opinion was found to be inadequate, lacking a rationale and specific details of the Veteran's medical history. The Board also noted that the September 2018 examiner may not have been qualified due to lack of accreditation by the Office of Disability and Medical Assessment.
- Claimed conditions
- Peripheral neuropathy of right upper extremity, Peripheral neuropathy of left upper extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 1, 2024
- Citation
- A24022415
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation A24022415.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's SMC was granted at the intermediate level between 38 U.S.C. § 1114(m) and (n) due to additional disabilities including peripheral neuropathies, tinnitus, hearing loss, and lymphoma.
- Denied
The Board finds that the Veteran's peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities is not related to service, including herbicide agent exposure in Thailand.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the left upper, right lower, and left lower extremities due to exposure to herbicide agents. The AOJ is instructed to schedule a VA examination and obtain any additional medical records.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that there are outstanding private treatment records and the Veteran's request for a hearing. Additionally, the claims of service connection for bilateral tinnitus, bilateral hip pain, and bilateral knee conditions require additional medical opinions due to conflicting or insufficient evidence in the record. The claim for an increased rating for PTSD also requires further examination.
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