The Board remands the matter for the RO to obtain outstanding private treatment records related to the Veteran's bilateral hypertensive retinopathy.
The deciding factor: A duty to assist error occurred as the RO failed to attempt to obtain relevant private medical records, which are necessary to substantiate the claim.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hypertensive retinopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 22, 2025
- Citation
- A25036915
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 right eye ischemic optic neuropathy, which is caused or aggravated by the Veteran's service-connected hypertension. The appeal was remanded to obtain additional medical opinions regarding other eye disorders and toxic exposure risk activity (TERA) examinations.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hypertensive retinopathy as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected hypertension and remanded claims for an initial compensable rating for an unspecified eating disorder, a rating in excess of 10 percent for hypertension, and a TDIU (excluding period from July 27, 2005 to May 28, 2024 when the Veteran was incarcerated).
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a medical examination to determine if the Veteran's current neck strain is related to his in-service activities.
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