The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to incomplete Tri-Care records and the need to consider new evidence.
The deciding factor: Incomplete Tri-Care records may affect the determination of effective dates for service connection claims.
- Claimed conditions
- vertebral fracture with intervertebral disc syndrome IVDS (claimed as low back condition), radiculopathy, lower left extremity, radiculopathy, lower right extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 23, 2026
- Citation
- A26025514
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 A26025514.
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.
- Partly granted
The Veteran was granted a 100 percent disability rating for somatic symptom disorder with predominant pain and major depressive episodes, effective May 6, 2021. The right ankle debridement of arthritis, post traumatic, was denied a higher rating, while service connection was granted for right knee pain but denied for low back pain and radiculopathy in the lower right extremity.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for radiculopathy in the upper right extremity, but denied it for the lower left extremity. The upper right radiculopathy is found to be related to the Veteran's service-connected cervical spine disability.
- Granted
The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened and are granted. The new evidence received since the last final denial supports a finding of service connection for right knee, left knee, radiculopathy of the lower left extremity, and allergic rhinitis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining treatment records and scheduling examinations to assess the veteran's service-connected disabilities. The claims for increased evaluations, special monthly compensation based on aid and attendance need, and secondary service connection will be held in abeyance pending completion of these actions.
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