The Board remands the claims for increased ratings and service connection due to a need for additional medical evidence regarding the qualifications of examiners and the effects of pain medication on the Veteran's disabilities.
The deciding factor: The remand is necessary because the Board finds that additional development is required to assess the competency of the medical examiners and to determine the impact of pain medications on the severity of the Veteran's service-connected conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Lumbar strain at sacrospinalis, erector spinae muscle, Left knee strain manifested by limitation of flexion, Left knee strain manifested by limitation of extension, Right ankle disability, Left ankle disability, Right elbow disability, Left elbow disability, Right foot disability, Left foot disability, Right knee disability, Hypertension
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 5, 2025
- Citation
- 25006075
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 service connection for chronic headaches, CFS, dermatosis, bilateral RLS, a lumbar spine disability, and sleep apnea but denied a compensable evaluation for allergic rhinitis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II and hypertension, to include as secondary to left orchiectomy, for further development in accordance with the PACT Act.
- Partly granted
The Board granted readjudication of previously denied claims for service connection for PTSD and COPD, while remanding other issues including entitlement to service connection for an eye disorder, hypertension, tinnitus, a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, TDIU, and an initial rating for PTSD.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various disabilities and denied higher ratings for several service-connected conditions.
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