The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection of right hip degenerative arthritis due to inadequate examination and lack of opinion.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner provided an inadequate examination without a full rationale, failing to consider the private medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's right hip condition.
- Claimed conditions
- right leg/right ankle condition, right shoulder degenerative arthritis, lumbar spine degenerative arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 24, 2026
- Citation
- A26016504
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 A26016504.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found the eligibility determination for PCAFC enrollment to be legally inadequate and remanded for a new medical opinion that adequately addresses the criteria for eligibility as set forth in VA regulations.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for lumbar spine degenerative arthritis and DDD, as well as right and left lower extremity radiculopathy secondary to the now service-connected lumbar spine condition. The decision is based on a finding of relative equipoise in the evidence regarding whether these conditions are related to service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for right shoulder degenerative arthritis with rotator cuff ossific tendinopathy, finding that his current disability is less likely related to service.
- Denied
The Veteran's lumbar spine degenerative arthritis and degenerative disc disease are currently rated at 40 percent, which is the maximum rating available under the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine. The Veteran's RLE sciatic radiculopathy has been dismissed due to untimely filing.
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