The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding whether the bilateral hip osteoarthritis is secondary to service-connected chronic left quadriceps strain and whether obesity played a role in causing or aggravating the condition.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner's opinion was not adequate as it did not address the appropriate burden of proof, did not consider the evidence of an altered gait, and did not provide a clear rationale for its conclusions.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral hip osteoarthritis
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 25, 2026
- Citation
- 26002640
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 26002640.
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 denied service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, posttraumatic stress disorder, and bilateral hip osteoarthritis secondary to left shoulder arthritis. The claim for hypertension was remanded due to a predecisional duty to assist error.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hip osteoarthritis based on secondary aggravation of the condition by service-connected knee disabilities, with a 100% rating effective October 23, 2017.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hip osteoarthritis is not proximately due to or the result of a service-connected disability and was not incurred in or aggravated by service, directly or presumptively.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
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