The Board remands the claim for service connection for thoracic outlet syndrome to obtain an addendum opinion addressing whether the condition existed prior to service and, if so, whether it was aggravated by service.
The deciding factor: The May 2024 VA examiner's opinion is inadequate as it did not address whether the Veteran's thoracic outlet syndrome existed prior to service or if there was any aggravation during service.
- Claimed conditions
- thoracic outlet syndrome
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 27, 2025
- Citation
- A25092778
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,676 · Granted: 24% (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 A25092778.
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 thoracic outlet syndrome, finding that the Veteran's symptoms began in service due to overuse of his arms during deployment.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial 30 percent disability rating for service-connected cervical strain from February 19, 2023 to September 17, 2023 and a 40 percent disability rating for right ulnar nerve radiculopathy. The claims for service connection for pectoralis minor injury and thoracic outlet syndrome were remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for further development and consideration of additional evidence.
- Dismissed
The veteran's appeal for service connection of thoracic outlet syndrome was dismissed because the veteran withdrew the appeal.
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