The Board has remanded the Veteran's service connection claims for additional analysis regarding whether obesity served as an intermediate step between his service-connected right knee disability and the development of his secondarily claimed conditions.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner’s opinion did not adequately address the secondary-service connection theory in the context of the intermediate-step, obesity-related aggravation.
- Claimed conditions
- coronary artery disease, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea, pancreatic disorder (referred to as a pancreatic cyst), lumbar spine disorder, diabetes mellitus, type II, diabetic retinopathy, diabetic nephropathy, peripheral vascular disease, testosterone deficiency, colon disorder (referred to a colon polyp), foot disorder (to include Charcot's foot)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 6, 2026
- Citation
- A26011423
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 A26011423.
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 the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that there is no competent evidence to support a finding that his current condition began in or as a result of service.
- Denied
The Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA) has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as there is no current diagnosis of this condition during the appeal period.
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