The Board remands the claim for a new VA opinion to determine if the Veteran's androgenic alopecia is a congenital defect or disease, and whether it was aggravated by his service-connected PTSD.
The deciding factor: The January 2024 VA medical opinions were inadequate as they did not address all required elements of secondary service connection, including aggravation. Additionally, there was insufficient evidence to determine if the condition is a congenital defect or disease.
- Claimed conditions
- Androgenic alopecia
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 18, 2025
- Citation
- A25025097
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,810 · Granted: 23% (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 A25025097.
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 being remanded for additional development, including obtaining in-patient clinical records and scheduling VA examinations to address the etiology of his hair loss and scars.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for androgenic alopecia, but denied the remaining claims. The veteran's left bunionectomy with osteoarthritis is currently evaluated as 10 percent disabling, while his right ear hearing loss is rated at 30 percent.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
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