The Board remands the claims for service connection for tinnitus, hypertension, right and left shoulder acromioclavicular degenerative joint disease, and lumbar spine degenerative arthritis to obtain medical opinions under 38 U.S.C. § 1168 regarding toxic exposure risk activities during service in Southwest Asia.
The deciding factor: The claims must be remanded to obtain medical opinions under 38 U.S.C. § 1168 and the Veteran's toxic exposure risk activities due to the passage of the PACT Act, which requires VA to provide an examination and opinion as to whether there is a nexus between the claimed disability and the toxic exposure risk activity.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, hypertension, right shoulder acromioclavicular degenerative disease, left shoulder acromioclavicular degenerative disease, lumbar spine degenerative arthritis
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 17, 2025
- Citation
- A25035586
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 831 · Granted: 48% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation A25035586.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The issues of foot disability and cardiovascular disorder are remanded for additional development.
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