The Board remands the claims for service connection for erectile dysfunction and lumbar spine disability to ensure that VA provides a medical examination and opinion regarding the nature and etiology of these conditions.
The deciding factor: The AOJ erred in not obtaining a VA examination and opinion as required by the duty to assist, specifically under 38 C.F.R. § 20.802(a).
- Claimed conditions
- Erectile Dysfunction (ED), Lumbar Spine Disability
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 16, 2025
- Citation
- A25052711
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various disabilities and denied higher ratings for several service-connected conditions.
- Partly granted
The Board granted earlier effective dates for TDIU and DEA benefits, service connection for ED as secondary to a depressive disorder, and special monthly compensation based on loss of use of a creative organ.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for his lumbar spine disability, both before and after November 8, 2024.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a compensable disability rating for service-connected erectile dysfunction due to the absence of evidence of penile deformity.
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