The Board remands the claims for service connection for various disorders, including neck pain and stiffness, back pain and stiffness, radiculopathy of upper and lower extremities, knee pain and stiffness, and ankle pain and stiffness, as the October 2023 VA examination reports did not adequately identify the Veteran's subjective symptoms such as pain, stiffness, or weakness.

The deciding factor: The October 2023 VA examinations were inadequate because they failed to provide a thorough description of the Veteran's subjective symptoms and their impact on earning capacity, even in the absence of objective diagnostic findings.

Claimed conditions

neck pain and stiffness, to include cervical strain, back pain and stiffness, to include lumbosacral strain, left upper extremity radiculopathy, to include as secondary to the claimed neck disorder, right upper extremity radiculopathy, to include as secondary to the claimed neck disorder, left lower extremity radiculopathy, to include as secondary to the claimed back disorder, right lower extremity radiculopathy, to include as secondary to the claimed back disorder, left knee pain and stiffness, to include knee strain, right knee pain and stiffness, to include knee strain, left ankle pain and stiffness, to include ankle strain, right ankle pain and stiffness, to include ankle strain

How they argued it

Direct service connection

Exposure basis

None

Rating assigned

None in this decision

Decision date

November 17, 2025

Citation

A25099672

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