The Board remands the claim for service connection for a bilateral breast condition to obtain an etiological opinion, as there was a pre-decisional duty-to-assist error in failing to provide one.
The deciding factor: The AOJ committed a pre-decisional, duty-to-assist error by not obtaining an etiological opinion despite the Veteran's reports of lay-observable manifestations and functional loss since service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral breast condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- February 5, 2025
- Citation
- A25010485
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,081 · Granted: 38% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation A25010485.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for hand rash, vision loss based on refractive error, and lumbar spine disability, among other conditions. A separate 10 percent rating was granted for right knee limitation of extension.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded several issues related to service connection for various conditions, including generalized anxiety disorder, GERD, IBS, rhinitis, sinusitis, dry skin/scars, a bilateral breast condition, pulled groin, vaginitis, irregular menstruation, cervical spine condition, left shoulder condition, right shoulder condition, wrist carpal tunnel syndrome, lower extremity nerve damage, ankle strain or Achilles conditions, and foot plantar fasciitis. The effective date for service connection for generalized anxiety disorder is denied prior to December 1, 2021.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied service connection for a right knee disability and remanded the issues of bilateral breast condition and pseudofolliculitis barbae. The case is now pending with instructions to obtain VA treatment records, schedule the Veteran for examinations, and readjudicate the appeal.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a respiratory disorder. The issue of service connection for a bilateral breast condition, including secondary scars, is remanded as it was not addressed in the original decision and requires issuance of a Statement of the Case (SOC).
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