The Board has decided that the Veteran's gout of his feet is related to a period of active-duty service and remands for further examination.
The deciding factor: The AOJ failed to schedule a VA examination prior to denying the Veteran's service-connection claim, which constitutes a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
- Claimed conditions
- gout of the feet
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 25, 2026
- Citation
- A26016991
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 A26016991.
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 service connection for all the claimed conditions as there was no evidence of a current disability or that any of the disabilities were related to active duty.
- Partly granted
The veteran was granted a 30% rating for GERD and a 50% rating for bilateral pes planus and plantar fasciitis with arthritis and gout of the feet. All other claims were denied.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for service connection for gout of the feet has been dismissed due to his death during the appeal process.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the VA examinations and medical opinions provided were inadequate for the purpose of resolving the appealed issues. The Veteran's gout, diabetes mellitus, type II, and stroke are all remanded for further development.
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