The Board remands the claims for service connection for TBI (also claimed as breacher syndrome) and back injury to ensure compliance with VA's duty to assist by obtaining a VA examination and corresponding medical opinion.
The deciding factor: The evidence of record at the time of the rating decision on appeal was sufficient to trigger VA's duty to assist in obtaining a VA examination and corresponding medical opinion addressing the Veteran's claims, but no such examination or opinion had been provided prior to the AOJ decisions on appeal.
- Claimed conditions
- Back injury, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) (also claimed as breacher syndrome)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 13, 2025
- Citation
- A25023466
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,812 · Granted: 30% (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 A25023466.
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 Veteran's ambulance expenses incurred on September 26, 2024 for medical treatment of a back injury are granted as the condition constituted an emergency and travel by ambulance was medically required. The Board found that the Veteran is unable to defray the cost.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection of back, left knee, and right knee injuries due to a lack of VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issues for further development, including obtaining additional evidence and an adequate medical opinion regarding the Veteran's character of discharge and service connection claims.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, claimed as depression and a right knee condition. The claims for left knee condition, back injury, hypertension, headaches, sleep apnea, and surgical complications of pregnancy were remanded.
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