The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypothyroidism, respiratory disorder, and cardiovascular disorder as secondary to his service-connected right hand hyperesthesia with loss of strength and chronic swelling and old healed fracture deformity right third digit, service connected right shoulder sprain and/or service connected right elbow sprain. The Board requested additional medical opinions regarding the etiology of these conditions.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the existing VA medical opinions were incomplete to decide the claims for hypothyroidism, respiratory disorder, and cardiovascular disorder as secondary to his service-connected right hand hyperesthesia with loss of strength and chronic swelling and old healed fracture deformity right third digit, service connected right shoulder sprain and/or service connected right elbow sprain.
- Claimed conditions
- Hypothyroidism, Respiratory Disorder, Cardiovascular Disorder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 30, 2026
- Citation
- 26001398
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 26001398.
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.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for high blood pressure, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), aortic valve regurgitation, and hypothyroidism as the evidence does not support a finding of direct service connection due to lack of in-service diagnosis or chronic symptoms.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for Major Depressive Disorder, Hypothyroidism, and Hypertension. The decision is based on direct evidence of these conditions during service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim of entitlement to an initial compensable disability rating for right shin splints due to inadequate examination and failure to address increased symptomatology during flare-ups. The Veteran's service connection for hypothyroidism was granted in full, leaving only her right shin splint issue on appeal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's PTSD, hypertension, DMII, hypothyroidism, and skin condition are related to his active-duty service. However, further development is needed for the claims of erectile dysfunction and skin condition due to potential exposure to toxins during service.
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