The Board has remanded the claims due to a duty-to-assist error, requiring additional medical opinions and examinations.
The deciding factor: The etiology of the Veteran's right foot calcaneal spur and osteophyte, degenerative disk disease of the L4-S1 vertebral with hypolordosis, and pulmonary embolism needs further clarification due to potential developmental nature of protein-C deficiency and inadequate medical opinions in prior decisions.
- Claimed conditions
- right foot calcaneal spur and osteophyte, degenerative disk disease of the L4-S1 vertebral with hypolordosis, pulmonary embolism
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 11, 2026
- Citation
- A26012776
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 A26012776.
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 Board has granted service connection for pulmonary embolism as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected status post spigelian herniorrhaphy, finding that the surgery increased her risk of developing a pulmonary embolism.
- Granted
The Veteran's pulmonary disability is directly related to his active service, and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to a duty-to-assist error regarding the Veteran's exposure to asbestos and Agent Orange during service. The claims are now pending for further development.
- Denied
The Veteran's pulmonary embolism and its residuals were not caused by VA carelessness, negligence, or similar fault. The Board found no additional disability due to VA fault.
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