The Board remands the claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus and low back disability to correct duty-to-assist errors that occurred prior to the March 2023 decision on appeal.
The deciding factor: The January 2023 medical opinions are found inadequate due to their reliance on a stringent standard of review, lack of specific facts related to the Veteran, and failure to address aggravation. Additionally, the opinions do not adequately consider the possibility of a nexus between diabetes mellitus and TERA exposure or low back disability and in-service injury.
- Claimed conditions
- Diabetes mellitus, Low back disability
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 26, 2025
- Citation
- A25027953
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.
- Denied
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- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for a low back disability and arthritis, to include bilateral hips and knees, due to an inadequate VA examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for a low back disability, left hip disability, right hip disability, prostate disability, and kidney cancer due to inadequate medical opinions and potential outstanding VA treatment records.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for a low back disability, left hip disability, right hip disability, prostate disability, and kidney cancer due to inadequate medical opinions and potential outstanding VA treatment records.
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