The Board remanded all issues to obtain missing service treatment records.

The deciding factor: The VA failed to obtain service treatment records from the Veteran's National Guard unit, which is a pre-decisional duty-to-assist error.

Claimed conditions

left finger condition, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with respiratory distress, emphysema, bilateral wrist condition, bilateral leg condition, radiculopathy, bilateral lower extremity, ilio-inguinal nerve as secondary to lower back condition with herniated disc, degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis, and arthritis, left shoulder condition, radiculopathy left lower extremity, external cutaneous nerve of the thigh as secondary to lower back condition with herniated disc, degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis, and arthritis, radiculopathy left lower extremity, sciatic nerve as secondary to lower back condition with herniated disc, degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis, and arthritis, hernia, right knee condition, left elbow condition, insomnia disorder, heart condition, sleep apnea, chronic pain, anxiety

How they argued it

Direct service connection

Exposure basis

None

Rating assigned

None in this decision

Decision date

January 24, 2025

Citation

A25006541

Want to see how appeals like this one tend to go? Appeals like mine