The Board remands the issues of entitlement to service connection for chronic right and left ankle strain due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error, specifically the failure to obtain an adequate medical opinion.
The deciding factor: The decision was based on the need to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error by obtaining a medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's ankle conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic right ankle strain, chronic left ankle strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 18, 2025
- Citation
- A25109374
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 915 · Granted: 38% (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 A25109374.
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 Veteran's claims for increased disability ratings for chronic left ankle sprain, right ankle strain, and thoracolumbar strain are being remanded due to duty-to-assist errors in the prior examinations.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a disability rating in excess of 10 percent for chronic left ankle strain, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on moderate limitation of motion.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for additional examinations to determine the current severity of the Veteran's cervical spine strain and hypothyroidism, as the previous VA examinations were inadequate.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, as he has maintained employment during the appeal period and his disabilities have allowed him to contribute positively through volunteer work.
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