The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and inadequate medical opinions. The Veteran is not entitled to secondary service connection for erectile dysfunction, left hip osteoarthritis, or right hip osteoarthritis as these conditions are not caused by his service-connected disabilities. For lumbosacral strain, a new VA examination is required to discount the beneficial effects of pain medications and establish a baseline severity level.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the medical opinions provided were inadequate for rating purposes due to their failure to consider all raised theories of entitlement and the need for an adequate opinion under the holding in Spicer v. McDonough, 61 F.4th 1360 (Fed. Cir. 2023).
- Claimed conditions
- erectile dysfunction, left hip osteoarthritis, right hip osteoarthritis, lumbosacral strain
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 25, 2026
- Citation
- A26027205
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 A26027205.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction was denied as the evidence did not show that he had been diagnosed and manifested to at least a 10 percent disability rating on or prior to May 8, 2001.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, visual impairment, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction due to lack of exposure to herbicide agents during service. The Veteran's claims were not granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that the Veteran meets the basic medical eligibility criteria for PCAFC benefits due to his need for personal care services based on symptoms or residuals of neurological or other impairment or injury. However, further clinical evaluation is needed to determine if participation in the program is in the Veteran's best interest.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claims for lumbosacral strain, asthma, melasma and hydradenitis, hypertension, an acquired psychiatric disorder (claimed as depression, anxiety, and stress), left shoulder disorder, right shoulder disorder, left knee disorder, a left foot disorder, and IBS have been granted. The remaining issues are remanded.
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