The Board remands the claims for a higher rating for chronic lumbosacral strain and service connection for cervical, left ankle, right ankle, right shoulder, and left shoulder conditions to ensure compliance with due process.
The deciding factor: Remand is necessary to obtain additional medical opinions that consider the Veteran's lay statements and are not conclusory.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic lumbosacral strain, cervical spine condition, left ankle condition, right ankle condition, right shoulder condition, left shoulder condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 22, 2025
- Citation
- 25006975
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 tinnitus, resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor. The claims for a cervical spine condition and lumbar spine condition were remanded for further development.
- Dismissed
The veteran's appeal requests for service connection and increased ratings were denied due to untimeliness, as the appeals were not filed within one year of the respective rating decisions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for right foot, left elbow, left hip, left ankle, and diabetes mellitus to obtain additional medical evidence.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and other benefits, finding that the evidence did not support higher ratings or additional compensation.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.