The Board remands the claims for service connection and a compensable rating due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors, including obtaining relevant medical records and examinations.
The deciding factor: Remand is necessary to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors in terms of obtaining relevant evidence and examinations addressing undiagnosed illnesses attributable to Gulf War service.
- Claimed conditions
- right hand numbness, left hand numbness, right knee disability, left knee disability, left shoulder disability, thoracolumbar disability (middle/lower back condition), bilateral hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 7, 2025
- Citation
- A25057879
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for tinnitus, cubital tunnel syndrome, right plantar fasciitis, and a right knee disability due to the lack of evidence supporting a nexus between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including bilateral hearing loss and various musculoskeletal issues, as well as an initial rating in excess of 0 percent for rhinitis. However, the Board granted a 70 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various disabilities to the AOJ for further development and consideration of evidence not previously considered.
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