The Board has remanded the claims for major depressive disorder, left knee strain, right knee strain, and low back condition due to inadequate medical opinions and outstanding private treatment records.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions are insufficient to determine whether the Veteran's current conditions are related to service, and there are missing VA treatment records that need to be obtained.
- Claimed conditions
- Major Depressive Disorder, Left Knee Strain, Right Knee Strain, Low Back Condition
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 5, 2026
- Citation
- A26000262
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 A26000262.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's major depressive disorder is found to be caused by his service-connected low back and radiculopathy disabilities, which prevent him from doing enjoyable activities and daily living tasks.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for an increased rating for PTSD and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a new VA examination.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's erectile dysfunction is secondary to his service-connected major depressive disorder, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Granted
The Veteran's right and left knee strains, as well as shin splints, were granted increased ratings. The Veteran also received special monthly compensation at the housebound rate from October 25, 2017 to March 11, 2024.
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