The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various recurrent disabilities of the cervical spine, hands, hips, and feet, all claimed as resulting from herbicide agent exposure during service. The VA examinations conducted were by nurse practitioners rather than medical doctors, which did not comply with the Board's instructions.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations were not conducted by a medical doctor as required by the Board's remand instructions.
- Claimed conditions
- recurrent cervical spine disability, recurrent right hand disability, recurrent left hand disability, recurrent right hip disability, recurrent left hip disability, recurrent right foot disability, recurrent left foot disability
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 2, 2024
- Citation
- 24033656
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 24033656.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for a VA examination to determine if any identified recurrent femoral disabilities had their onset during active service or are related to any incident of service, including whether pre-existing slipped femoral epiphysis repair residuals were aggravated by active service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of proper notice and is now required to provide the Veteran with a pre-decisional hearing.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings due to incomplete records, including a lack of color photographs of his scars. The claims are being returned to the agency that made the initial decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence regarding the onset and relationship of the claimed disabilities to active service.
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