The Board of Veterans' Appeals remands the claims for service connection for a left foot and ankle disability, right knee disability (secondary to left foot and ankle), and left knee disability (secondary to left foot and ankle) due to errors in the October 2023 decision.
The deciding factor: The Court found that the Board erred in applying 38 U.S.C. §1153 instead of 38 U.S.C. §1111, and remanded for a medical examination and opinion.
- Claimed conditions
- left foot and ankle disability, right knee disability (secondary to left foot and ankle disability), left knee disability (secondary to left foot and ankle disability)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 10, 2025
- Citation
- A25087931
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 258 · Granted: 30% (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 A25087931.
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 Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence regarding his exposure to Agent Orange and related health effects. The AOJ is instructed to obtain a toxicology report from an environmental toxicologist specializing in herbicides, Agent Orange, and other related chemicals.
- Granted
The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been presented to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus are found to be related to his active service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining records of the Veteran's service with the Army National Guard and Reserves, as well as opinions regarding potential exposure to herbicides and whether his conditions are related to service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for recurrent tinnitus and left foot and ankle disability. The Veteran's claim for service connection for a left foot and ankle disability is being remanded to the RO.
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