The Board remands the claims for service connection for Crohn's disease, bilateral pes planus, bilateral shin splints, right knee disability, and low back disability to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors.
The deciding factor: The VA opinions are incomplete and inadequate as they did not address all relevant medical and lay evidence of record or provide a clear rationale for the opinions given.
- Claimed conditions
- Crohn's disease, Bilateral pes planus, Bilateral shin splints, Right knee disability, Low back disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 23, 2025
- Citation
- A25036996
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 chronic headaches, CFS, dermatosis, bilateral RLS, a lumbar spine disability, and sleep apnea but denied a compensable evaluation for allergic rhinitis.
- Granted
The Board granted earlier effective dates of November 5, 2021, for the grants of service connection and eligibility for DEA benefits.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, a low back disability, residuals of a right foot injury, sinusitis, shortness of breath, allergic rhinitis, and sleep apnea as there was no evidence to support a link between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for a low back disability and arthritis, to include bilateral hips and knees, due to an inadequate VA examination.
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