The Board has remanded several claims due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors, including for new VA medical opinions on right wrist and knee conditions, right foot condition, right ankle condition, erectile dysfunction, GERD, headaches, obstructive sleep apnea, dry eye syndrome, lumbar spine condition, and right lower extremity radiculopathy.
The deciding factor: The claims were remanded due to the need for new VA medical opinions addressing the etiology of various conditions related to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired psychiatric disorder, Right wrist sprain, Right knee strain, Right foot condition, Right ankle condition, Erectile dysfunction, Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Headaches, Obstructive sleep apnea, Dry eye syndrome, Lumbar spine condition, Right lower extremity radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 19, 2026
- Citation
- A26015366
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 A26015366.
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 service connection of a right knee disability, finding that there was no nexus between his current condition and active duty service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability and an increased rating for his acquired psychiatric disorder. The Board found that there was no evidence linking the current disabilities to military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for Dupuytren's contracture of the left hand, right hand, and GERD is remanded due to inadequate VA examination opinions and failure to consider toxic exposure risk activities during service.
- Denied
The Veteran's GERD is currently rated at 10 percent disabling, but the Board found that his symptoms do not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher rating.
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