The Board remands the claims for service connection of various joint conditions as secondary to residuals of thyroidectomy and partial parathyroidectomy status post papillary thyroid cancer due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
The deciding factor: Remand is warranted due to an inadequate medical opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's claimed conditions and her service-connected thyroid cancer residuals/prescribed medication.
- Claimed conditions
- joint conditions of the bilateral hands, joint conditions of the bilateral feet, a back condition, a neck condition, joint pains of the bilateral ankles, joint pains of the bilateral knees, joint pains of the right elbow
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 13, 2025
- Citation
- A25098698
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,828 · Granted: 32% (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 A25098698.
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 appeal has been dismissed due to the Veteran's death. The Board cannot issue a decision on the underlying claim(s) at this time and must dismiss this appeal.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals regarding service connection for PTSD, TBI, and a back condition due to the Veteran's withdrawal of his appeal.
- Dismissed
The Veteran has withdrawn their appeal regarding service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, posttraumatic stress disorder, a back condition, and a left knee condition. The Board of Veterans' Appeals dismissed the appeals.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence regarding the relationship between the claimed conditions and military service. The Veteran will need to undergo VA examinations to determine if there is a link between his current diagnoses and his time in service.
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