The Board remands the claim for service connection for pharyngitis to obtain an adequate VA medical examination and etiology opinion.
The deciding factor: The October 2023 VA examination and etiology opinions are not probative, as they incorrectly state there are no records of medical complaint, treatment, or diagnosis of pharyngitis in the Veteran's claims file, even though findings and diagnoses of pharyngitis appear several times in the Veteran's service treatment records.
- Claimed conditions
- pharyngitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 26, 2025
- Citation
- A25028091
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 tinnitus but denied service connection for the remaining conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various disabilities, including right and left hip, right and left knee, left shoulder, callus of the left big toe, and pharyngitis, as there was no evidence to support a link between these conditions and the Veteran's active military service.
- Dismissed
The appeal for a rating in excess of 10 percent for GERD and for a compensable rating for pharyngitis was dismissed due to the untimely filing of the Notice of Disagreement.
- Dismissed
All appeals for higher initial ratings and service connection were dismissed as they were duplicative of previously addressed appeals or due to untimely filings.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.