The Board remands the claims for service connection for bilateral feet condition and degenerative arthritis thoracolumbar spine due to inadequate VA examinations.
The deciding factor: The June 2023 VA examination reports were found inadequate as they failed to consider relevant lay statements and medical evidence, thus failing to provide a reasoned medical explanation connecting the Veteran's symptoms to service or service-connected conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral feet condition, degenerative arthritis thoracolumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 24, 2025
- Citation
- A25026846
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral tinnitus and remanded the remaining issues for further development.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew all claims except for service connection for sleep apnea, which was remanded for further development.
- Partly granted
The Board denied a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and granted service connection for headaches. Several claims were remanded for further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for bilateral feet and knee conditions to correct a predecisional duty to assist error, requiring medical examinations to determine if any diagnosed disabilities are related to the Veteran's active-duty service.
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