The Board remands all service connection claims for further development, specifically to provide the veteran with adequate VA examinations.
The deciding factor: The appellant did not fail to report for a VA examination as he provided good cause for his unavailability, and thus, pre-decisional duty to assist errors occurred requiring correction through remand.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral chronic dry eye disability, loss of vision, erectile dysfunction, bilateral hearing loss disability, tinnitus, gastrointestinal disability, to include irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), bilateral plantar fasciitis, left ankle disability, right ankle disability, left knee disability, right knee disability, left wrist disability, right wrist disability, left shoulder disability, right shoulder disability, back disability, to include a lumbosacral and/or thoracic spine disability, neck disability, to include a cervical spine disability, sciatica, left lower extremity, sciatica, right lower extremity, migraines, sleep apnea, sinusitis, scars of the head, scars of the legs, respiratory disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 2, 2025
- Citation
- A25085186
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 785 · Granted: 27% (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 A25085186.
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 right shoulder disability and migraines/chronic headaches are remanded for additional development due to insufficient opinions on the etiology of her conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess his bilateral knee and hip disabilities.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for migraines was reopened due to new evidence. Service connection is granted for painful scars, but the rating assigned remains at 10 percent. The claims for fibromyalgia and bilateral shoulder disability are denied.
- 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.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.