The Board remands the claim for an unspecified neurocognitive disorder to be evaluated by a new VA examination and to obtain an Individual Exposure Record (ILER) due to an inadequate medical opinion.
The deciding factor: The February 2025 VA medical opinion was found inadequate as it did not provide supporting rationale, an opinion for direct service connection, or an opinion on whether the condition was aggravated by the Veteran's service-connected disabilities. Additionally, there is a need to obtain an ILER and evaluate potential toxic exposure risk activity (TERA).
- Claimed conditions
- unspecified neurocognitive disorder, cognitive disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 7, 2025
- Citation
- A25021164
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 281 · Granted: 32% (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 A25021164.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for an addendum opinion regarding the nature and etiology of his unspecified neurocognitive disorder, which was diagnosed after a September 2021 heart surgery. The issues are about service connection on the merits.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disability, diagnosed as unspecified neurocognitive disorder, is remanded due to inadequate examination and the need for additional TERA development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for unspecified neurocognitive disorder, hypertension, and carotid artery atherosclerosis without stenosis as secondary to hypertension due to inadequate medical opinions regarding their etiology. The Veteran's exposure to burn pits during service is considered.
- Granted
The Veteran's TBI residuals, including depressive disorder, cognitive impairment, chronic sinusitis, migraines, vertigo, anosmia, hypogeusia, and trigeminal nerve neuralgia, require aid and attendance. The Veteran is not eligible for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(r)(2). Without regular aid and attendance, the Veteran would need residential institutional care due to safety concerns.
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