The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence has been received to warrant readjudication of the Veteran's claims for service connection for depression, right knee disorders, left knee disorders, a back disorder, and a heart disorder. The claims are being remanded due to pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors.
The deciding factor: The VA medical opinions provided were inadequate as they did not address all relevant evidence or provide a reasoned explanation connecting the Veteran's current conditions to his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- depression, right knee degenerative joint disease (DJD)/patella tendon rupture (right knee disorder), left knee DJD/patella tendon rupture (left knee disorder), back disorder (to include degenerative arthritis), heart disorder (to include an irregular heartbeat), left upper extremity nerve damage, acquired psychiatric disorder (to include depression and dysthymia), right knee disorder, left knee disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 26, 2026
- Citation
- A26007013
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 A26007013.
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 case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and providing proper notice regarding secondary service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining in-service psychiatric treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any acquired psychiatric disorder.
- Denied
The Veteran's depression was rated at 50 percent prior to July 1, 2016. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating due to occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity. For TDIU, the Veteran had multiple service-connected disabilities but his education and work experience were sufficient for sedentary or light labor employment.
- Granted
The Veteran's depression was rated at 50 percent prior to September 27, 2017. From September 27, 2017, the rating for depression increased to 70 percent.
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