The Board remands the claims for service connection of various conditions to correct duty to assist errors that occurred prior to the October 2021 rating decision and the July 2022 HLR rating decision on appeal.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner's opinions are inadequate, and new VA opinions must be provided regarding the Veteran's various claims due to the lack of adequate rationale and consideration of lay evidence.
- Claimed conditions
- cervical spine degenerative arthritis, lumbar spine degenerative arthritis and intervertebral disc syndrome, left ankle lateral collateral ligament sprain, status post fracture, right ankle lateral collateral ligament sprain, status post fracture, left foot plantar fasciitis, right foot plantar fasciitis, left shoulder acromioclavicular joint separation with osteoarthritis, right shoulder acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis, left hip trochanteric pain syndrome, right hip trochanteric pain syndrome, left knee degenerative arthritis, right knee degenerative arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 28, 2025
- Citation
- A25018728
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 899 · Granted: 45% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation A25018728.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for right knee disability, left knee arthritis, and bilateral knee instability. The decision is based on the Veteran's competent and credible lay evidence regarding the onset of symptoms in service.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for service connection for left knee degenerative arthritis is dismissed. The claims for service connection for psychiatric disability, bilateral hearing loss, and other conditions are granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted service connection for cervical spine degenerative arthritis. The claims for back pain and right upper extremity radiculopathy are remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations.
- Granted
The Veteran's migraine headaches are rated at 50% and cannot be increased.,SMC at the housebound rate is granted from January 11, 2021 due to multiple service-connected disabilities.,A TDIU rating effective October 28, 2011 is granted based on inability to secure or follow substantially gainful employment due to migraine headaches.,Eligibility for DEA benefits is granted but no earlier than the date of claim (April 5, 1999).
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