The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to a duty to assist error. The Veteran's claims of service connection for obesity, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities, and an increased rating for right knee osteoarthritis status post total knee arthroplasty are being reconsidered.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was a duty to assist error prior to the October 2022 and December 2022 rating decisions on appeal and thus remanded the cases for further development.
- Claimed conditions
- obesity, peripheral neuropathy of the left upper extremity, peripheral neuropathy of the right upper extremity, right knee osteoarthritis status post total knee arthroplasty
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 16, 2026
- Citation
- A26023245
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 A26023245.
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 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.
- Granted
The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II, is granted on a secondary basis with obesity serving as an intermediate step due to service-connected low back disability, sciatica, and right shoulder disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The DIC claim is denied because the Veteran was not rated totally disabled for a continuous period of at least 10 years immediately preceding his death. The service connection issue is remanded due to duty to assist error.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeals for service connection of peripheral neuropathy in all four extremities, resulting in the dismissal of these claims.
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