The Board remands the claims for service connection for migraines, a left knee condition, and an acquired psychiatric disorder to obtain additional evidence.
The deciding factor: The December 2023 VA examiner's opinion was found inadequate, and there is insufficient medical evidence to decide the claim regarding the Veteran's migraines. Additionally, the record does not show a formally diagnosed knee condition, but left knee pain and weakness indicate that the duty to provide a VA examination has been triggered. The stressor event for PTSD could not be verified, but post-service treatment records support the need for a VA examination.
- Claimed conditions
- migraines, left knee condition, acquired psychiatric disorder, to include posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 11, 2025
- Citation
- A25033823
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 Veteran was granted a 70 percent initial disability rating for PTSD effective December 2, 2021, but the claim for an increased rating in excess of 70 percent was denied. The appeal also included claims for service connection and ratings for various conditions, some of which were granted while others were remanded.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for migraines, finding that his symptoms more closely approximate a 30 percent disability rating.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for migraines, including as secondary to cervical strain, due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors in not translating relevant Spanish documents and ensuring a VA examiner considered all evidence.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for service connection were dismissed due to untimely filing of the Board Appeal requests.
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