The Board remands the claims for service connection for various bilateral joint strains and disorders, as additional medical evidence is needed to address their relationship to the Veteran's in-service pain.
The deciding factor: Remand necessary due to a duty-to-assist error regarding obtaining an opinion on the nature and etiology of the Veteran's current bilateral elbow, hip, knee, and shoulder disorders related to his in-service pain.
- Claimed conditions
- right elbow disorder, left elbow disorder, left hip strain, right hip strain, left knee strain, right knee strain, left shoulder strain, right shoulder strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 8, 2025
- Citation
- A25041750
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The appeal is remanded to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors, including the failure to obtain relevant treatment records and provide adequate VA examinations.
- 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.
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