The Board remands the claims for service connection for various conditions, including tinnitus and headaches, due to a duty-to-assist error regarding VA examinations.
The deciding factor: Remand is necessary to ensure that the Veteran receives appropriate medical examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, tension headaches/migraines, cervical strain, left upper extremity radiculopathy, right upper extremity radiculopathy, lumbar strain, thoracolumbar spine, degenerative arthritis, degenerative arthritis, left shoulder strain, right shoulder strain, left hip bursitis, right hip bursitis, left knee strain with bursitis, right knee bursitis, left lateral collateral ankle sprain with pronation external rotation ankle fracture, right ankle deltoid ligament disruption, right fibula fracture, left plantar fasciitis, right plantar fasciitis with syndesmosis disruption and malleolar fracture
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 30, 2025
- Citation
- A25039883
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,886 · Granted: 24% (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 A25039883.
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 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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran experienced tinnitus during his active duty service.
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