The Board remands the claim for an addendum medical opinion that fully considers the combined effects of the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including any side effects from medications.
The deciding factor: The Board errs as a matter of law when it fails to ensure compliance with the instructions of its prior remand.
- Claimed conditions
- right shoulder sprain, low back strain, right wrist sprain, left ankle strain, anosmia, GERD
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 20, 2025
- Citation
- 25008169
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including a head injury, headache disorder, erectile dysfunction, left earache disorder, chronic fatigue, right shoulder disorder, irritable bowel syndrome, right foot disorder, GERD, and left shoulder disorder, as the evidence did not support current diagnoses of these conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection, increased ratings, and earlier effective dates as there was no evidence to support a causal relationship between his current conditions and his active military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for left and right wrist sprain due to a pre-decision duty-to-assist error, specifically the absence of a medical opinion.
- Granted
The Board granted an earlier effective date of May 2, 2018, for service connection for various disabilities.
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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.