The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the inadequacy of the October 2019 VA examination reports.,The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the inadequacy of the October 2019 VA examination reports.,The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the inadequacy of the September 2019 VA medical opinions.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder is being remanded based on new military personnel records showing his deployment to Panama and Honduras.,The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to inadequate VA examination reports related to ankle disabilities.,The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to inadequate VA examination reports related to ankle disabilities.,The Veteran's claim for service connection is being remanded due to inadequate VA examination report.
The deciding factor: The October 2019 VA examination reports were inadequate as they did not adequately address the Veteran's reported flareups and repetitive use over time, nor provided an estimate of reflexes.,The October 2019 VA examination reports were inadequate as they did not provide a response to the reflex section of the report.,The September 2019 VA medical opinions related to the ankles were inadequate because they failed to consider the Veteran's lay reports regarding parachute landings in service.,New military personnel records showing the Veteran's deployment to Panama and Honduras triggered the requirements of 38 C.F.R. § 3.156(c).,The September 2019 VA medical opinions related to the ankles were inadequate because they failed to consider the Veteran's lay reports regarding parachute landings in service.,The September 2019 VA medical opinion related to the left knee was inadequate because it did not consider the Veteran's lay reports regarding parachute landings in service.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the lumbosacral spine, Radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, Radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, Psychiatric disorder (claimed as PTSD and major depressive disorder), Left ankle disability, Right ankle disability, Left knee disability
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 5, 2026
- Citation
- A26000706
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 A26000706.
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 extraschedular ratings for the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine and lower extremity radiculopathy disabilities, as well as a total disability rating based on individual unemployability prior to February 3, 2011.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded two issues: entitlement to a disability rating in excess of 20 percent prior to March 23, 2009 for degenerative arthritis of the lumbosacral spine and entitlement to an extraschedular disability rating for the same condition. The Veteran is asked to provide lay statements from individuals who have observed his symptoms during flare-ups and without medication. A retrospective medical opinion is needed to assess the severity of his condition prior to March 23, 2009.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of January 10, 1997, for a 10% disability rating for his right ankle disability is denied as there was no CUE in the previous decisions.
- Granted
The Board has granted the appellant's claim for service connection for left ankle disability residuals, finding that his current condition is due to an in-service injury and granting the benefit of the doubt.
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