The Board has determined that the character of the Appellant's discharge is a bar to VA benefits, and thus did not address his service connection claims. The case is being remanded for the AOJ to obtain missing records related to the special court-martial and complete a new determination on the character of the discharge.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the record was incomplete due to the lack of documentation regarding the Appellant's special court-martial, which could affect his eligibility for VA benefits based on his discharge character.
- Claimed conditions
- head injury/traumatic brain injury, forehead injury, scars on the forehead, neck injury, scars on the neck, recurring headaches, facial lacerations, left hand injury
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 18, 2026
- Citation
- A26014948
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 A26014948.
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 the Veteran's request to recognize his December 17, 2008 correspondence as a timely and valid Notice of Disagreement (NOD) with the November 2008 rating decision. The underlying compensation claims will be addressed in a separate Board decision under the Legacy appeal system.
- Granted
The Veteran's kidney stones, neck injury, asthma, and right leg or knee disability are all granted. The Veteran is also awarded a 30% rating for his neck injury. However, the claims for service connection for asthma and right leg or right knee disabilities are remanded due to lack of proper development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors, including failure to obtain VA and private medical records related to his hip conditions, neck injury, and right shoulder injury.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that the Veteran's claim for service connection for a neck injury is remanded due to the failure to obtain a VA examination or medical opinion prior to denying the claim, which constitutes a pre-decisional duty-to-assist error. The Veteran needs to be scheduled for an examination and medical opinion by an appropriate VA examiner.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.