The Veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded due to incomplete records and duty-to-assist errors. The VA is required to obtain relevant SSA records, as well as provide an addendum opinion regarding the Veteran's claimed stressors and psychiatric disabilities.
The deciding factor: Incomplete records and duty-to-assist errors prevented proper adjudication of the claims.
- Claimed conditions
- staph infection, fatty liver disease due to hepatitis C, hypertension, erectile dysfunction, tinnitus, acquired psychiatric disability (claimed as PTSD, anxiety, neurosis bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia), carpal tunnel syndrome, bilateral hand pain and numbness, left arm pain and numbness, left shoulder pain and numbness, right arm pain and numbness, right shoulder pain and numbness
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 12, 2026
- Citation
- A26013425
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation A26013425.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
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 claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction was denied as the evidence did not show that he had been diagnosed and manifested to at least a 10 percent disability rating on or prior to May 8, 2001.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
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