The Board has remanded the case due to a duty-to-assist error and needs an adequate medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected hearing disorders aggravate his major neurocognitive disorder.
The deciding factor: The VA failed to obtain an adequate etiology opinion as required by law, necessitating further development of the claim.
- Claimed conditions
- major neurocognitive disorder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 7, 2026
- Citation
- A26001424
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 A26001424.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection and Dependents' Educational Assistance have been granted, making these issues moot.
- Granted
The Veteran's major neurocognitive disorder, including dementia and stroke, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, and headaches are granted service connection as secondary to his already service-connected disabilities.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for benign prostatic hyperplasia, urinary incontinence, left lower extremity deep vein thrombosis, right lower extremity deep vein thrombosis, left leg condition (knee strain), right leg condition (knee strain), obstructive sleep apnea, diabetes mellitus type II, heart condition, and hypertension. However, it dismissed the appeals for service connection for major neurocognitive disorder, MDD, suicidal thoughts, and anxiety.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for major neurocognitive disorder, unspecified bipolar and related disorder, and unspecified alcohol-related disorder due to an inadequate VA opinion.
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