The Board remands the claims for service connection and increased ratings due to the need for medical examinations under the PACT Act.
The deciding factor: Remand is required to obtain VA examinations and opinions related to the Veteran's claimed disabilities in light of his exposure to toxins during service, as mandated by the PACT Act.
- Claimed conditions
- facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FMD), right foot drop, right knee strain, right hip strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 29, 2025
- Citation
- A25039212
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for left knee strain, right knee strain, right wrist strain, and TBI. The Veteran's PTSD rating was remanded for further development.
- Granted
The Board grants service connection for a right hip strain, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran based on evidence showing an onset during service and continuous symptoms since then.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a rating in excess of 10 percent for bilateral hip and knee disabilities, as well as a TDIU claim, to ensure adequate VA examinations are conducted.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for left hip iliopsoas tendonitis, right knee strain, and left knee strain as secondary to lumbosacral strain. Service connection was also granted for cannabis use disorder as secondary to mental health conditions of PTSD, major depressive disorder with alcohol use disorder, and TBI. However, the Board denied an initial disability rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD and granted a separate disability rating of 40 percent for TBI.
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