The Board remands the claims for service connection and compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151, as well as special monthly compensation based on aid and attendance or housebound status, due to inadequate medical opinions.
The deciding factor: Inadequate medical opinions were provided that did not address the Veteran's contentions adequately.
- Claimed conditions
- scar, right side of forehead, bowel incontinence, staph infection, traumatic injuries to the lumbosacral spine with degenerative disc disease status post multiple lumbar laminectomies and discectomies
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 7, 2025
- Citation
- 25008846
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.
- Dismissed
The appeals for a compensable evaluation for bladder incontinence and bowel incontinence have been withdrawn and dismissed.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of April 24, 2014, for service connection for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy, a rating of 40 percent from April 24, 2014 to August 13, 2020 for the back disability, and a separate rating for bowel incontinence associated with the back disability.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, considering that his service-connected orthopedic disabilities and major depressive disorder contributed substantially to his death.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal for initial increased ratings for thoracolumbar spine arthritis, cervical spine arthritis, bilateral lower extremity femoral radiculopathy, and a scar.
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