The Board remands the service connection claims for bilateral shin splints due to an error by the AOJ in satisfying its duty to assist, requiring a VA examination.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that the Veteran had good cause for not reporting to his scheduled VA examinations and that the AOJ's failure to provide him with an examination was a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
- Claimed conditions
- left shin condition, right shin condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 15, 2025
- Citation
- A25043882
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 709 · Granted: 38% (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 A25043882.
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 Veteran seeks service connection for shin splints that he claims began during his active duty at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri. The VA has not provided a sufficient examination to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's current right and left shin conditions, as well as their relationship to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection due to duty-to-assist errors, and a VA examination is needed to determine the nature and etiology of his sleep apnea.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for low back pain and right thumb condition, but denied service connection for neck condition, right shoulder condition, right wrist condition, right knee condition, and right shin condition.
- Dismissed
The veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection of a left shin condition, and the Board has no jurisdiction to review this claim.
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