The Board remands the claim for an adequate medical opinion regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hip disabilities, specifically addressing whether they were aggravated by his service-connected left foot disability.
The deciding factor: The March 2023 VA medical opinion was inadequate as it failed to conduct the two separate inquiries (i.e. causation and aggravation) necessary to provide an adequate secondary service connection opinion in this instance.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral hip disabilities
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 19, 2025
- Citation
- A25025644
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.
- Dismissed
The appeal was denied due to the untimely filing of the Board Appeal request.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his service-connected spine, hip and knee disabilities contributed substantially or materially to his death.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a low back disability and bilateral hip disabilities as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred in or caused by the Veteran's military service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for cervical spine, right shoulder, lumbar spine, bilateral hip, and bilateral knee disabilities. The Board also denied an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for bilateral plantar fasciitis, a higher initial rating for bilateral plantar fasciitis, and an earlier effective date for a 50 percent disability rating for schizophrenia. However, the Board granted a 70 percent disability rating from December 14, 2021, for schizophrenia and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).
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