The Board remands the claims for a higher disability rating for cervical strain, arthritis, DDD, IVDS and service connection for left ankle lateral collateral ligament sprain, left shoulder strain, and bilateral vertigo due to an inadequate VA examination.
The deciding factor: The November 2024 VA examinations are found to be inadequate as they did not provide sufficient information regarding the severity of spasms or other relevant factors necessary for rating purposes. Additionally, the December 2024 VA examinations for left ankle and shoulder conditions were also deemed inadequate due to a failure to consider lay statements and medical treatises submitted by the Veteran.
- Claimed conditions
- cervical strain, arthritis, degenerative disc disease (DDD), intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS), left ankle lateral collateral ligament sprain, left shoulder strain, bilateral vertigo
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 6, 2025
- Citation
- A25096963
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 913 · Granted: 41% (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 A25096963.
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 Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions were granted effective from July 1, 2020.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's hypertension, left shoulder strain, and right shoulder disability are all granted as service-connected.,The Veteran is also remanded for a rating in excess of 10 percent for degenerative arthritis of the spine and for service connection for sleep apnea.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeal because the appellant requested to withdraw his appeal for service connection claims related to left ankle lateral collateral ligament sprain, left knee strain, bilateral hearing loss, and low back injury.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinions and a need for additional examination.
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