The Board remands the issues of service connection for peripheral neuropathy and a bilateral shoulder disorder due to challenges regarding the competency of the medical examiner.
The deciding factor: The challenge to the medical examiner's competency meets the criteria set by Francway v. Wilkie, requiring further development before a decision can be made.
- Claimed conditions
- Peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity, Peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity, Bilateral shoulder disorder
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 21, 2025
- Citation
- 25006965
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 appeal was denied for service connection of a cervical spine disorder, and several claims were remanded for further development.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted special monthly compensation (SMC) at the R(1) rate due to his need for regular aid and attendance.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for peripheral neuropathy of both lower extremities to obtain a VA medical opinion regarding whether the current condition is caused or aggravated by the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus type II.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for higher initial ratings for peripheral neuropathy of both lower extremities, finding that his symptoms did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.
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