The Board remands the claims for further development, including obtaining additional medical opinions and records.
The deciding factor: The September 2022 VA examination reports are inadequate as they failed to consider the Veteran's lay statements regarding onset of symptoms in service as well as his current level of pain and resulting functional impairment. Additionally, there is a need for TERA opinions due to presumed toxic exposure during service.
- Claimed conditions
- Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) with persistent depressive disorder, Left ankle disability, Left hip disability, Left lower extremity (LLE) disability, Left shoulder disability, Left wrist disability, Right ankle disability, Right hip disability, Right lower extremity (RLE) disability, Right shoulder disability, Right wrist disability, Sinusitis, Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Thoracolumbar spine degenerative disc disease, degenerative arthritis, and spondylosis, Tinea pedis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 27, 2025
- Citation
- A25028599
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
The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for increased ratings for right and left shoulder disabilities, as the evidence did not support a higher rating under applicable criteria.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for PTSD, resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor and finding that his PTSD is related to an in-service military sexual trauma (MST) during a period of ACDUTRA.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of May 17, 2019, for a 70 percent disability rating for PTSD but denied earlier effective dates for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.
- Partly granted
The Board granted readjudication of previously denied claims for service connection for PTSD and COPD, while remanding other issues including entitlement to service connection for an eye disorder, hypertension, tinnitus, a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, TDIU, and an initial rating for PTSD.
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