The Board remands the claims for service connection for various disabilities, including degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine, low back disability, knee strains, foot disability, and others, due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors.
The deciding factor: Remand is required to obtain adequate VA medical opinions addressing the theories of entitlement, as the previous opinions were found inadequate for adjudication purposes.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine (neck disability), Degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine (low back disability), Left knee strain, Right knee strain, Bilateral foot disability, diagnosed as bilateral pes planus and bilateral plantar fasciitis, Right ankle disability, Left ankle disability, Allergic rhinitis, Sinusitis, Right ear hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 20, 2025
- Citation
- A25044999
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 20 percent rating for the Veteran's left knee strain, service connection for right ear hearing loss, and service connection for a right ankle disorder. Other claims were denied or remanded.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for asbestosis, bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), rhinitis, sinusitis, and asthma. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was also denied a compensable rating.
- Denied
The appeal for higher ratings and effective dates for various conditions was denied, with the exception of left and right lower extremity radiculopathy which were granted an earlier effective date.
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