The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for left shoulder and left ankle disabilities due to insufficient discussion of medication effects, lack of definition application, and failure to obtain private treatment records.
The deciding factor: The decision was remanded because the Board failed to consider the ameliorative effects of medications used by the Veteran in treating his service-connected disabilities, did not apply its definitions correctly, and did not attempt to obtain relevant private treatment records.
- Claimed conditions
- left acromioclavicular joint (left shoulder disability), left ankle osteoarthritis (left ankle disability)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 23, 2026
- Citation
- 26002437
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 26002437.
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 Veteran's claims for increased ratings for left ankle and right knee disabilities were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for his left ankle disability prior to November 4, 2020 or from November 4, 2020 onwards. For his right knee total replacement, the claim was also denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected musculoligamentous strain, right knee, is currently rated at 10 percent and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.
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