The Board remands the claims for service connection for dysphagia and left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, to include as secondary to service-connected COPD, for further development.
The deciding factor: A remand is needed because the Board erred when it failed to remand under 38 C.F.R. § 20.802(a) for the correction of an error by the AOJ in satisfying a regulatory duty and no VA examination has opined as to whether dysphagia and left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy have been aggravated by service-connected COPD.
- Claimed conditions
- dysphagia, left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy involving the sciatic nerve
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 29, 2025
- Citation
- A25093571
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 882 · Granted: 22% (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 A25093571.
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 Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to missing records and a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The claims will be readjudicated after obtaining any necessary records.
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The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete medical records and a duty to assist error. The Veteran's gastrointestinal disorder claim will be reconsidered with the inclusion of all relevant private medical records.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for hiatal hernia with gastritis and dysphagia, finding that these conditions are related to the Veteran's active duty service.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for hiatal hernia with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), dysphagia, and mild esophageal dysmotility. The evidence supports a finding that these conditions are related to his military service.
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