The Board has decided to remand the claims for athletes' foot, loose teeth, and tooth condition due to a duty to assist error. The Veteran's lay assertions of in-service incurrence are considered, and VA examinations are required to assess the nature and etiology of any diagnosed disabilities.
The deciding factor: There was an omission of VA examinations prior to the Rating Decision on appeal regarding athletes' foot, loose teeth, and tooth condition due to a duty to assist error.
- Claimed conditions
- Athletes' foot, Loose teeth, Tooth condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 8, 2026
- Citation
- A26032603
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 A26032603.
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 service connection for PTSD is dismissed as the claim has been fully granted. The claim for a tooth condition is denied due to lack of current disability. The claim for a right knee condition is remanded for further evaluation.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied service connection for athletes' foot due to the lack of a current diagnosis during the appeal period.,The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for neck disability, lower back disability (secondary to left knee disability), and acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and anxiety) as there are pre-decisional duty to assist errors requiring further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's service connection claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder was denied as there is no evidence of a current disability related to his service. The Board found that the Veteran’s Major Depressive Disorder is more likely due to post-service factors.,Service connection for athletes' foot, right knee disorder, back disorder, and right ankle disorder were remanded as VA examinations are needed to determine their etiology.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim of service connection for PTSD was granted, with a rating of 30 percent effective November 4, 2009. The kidney condition claim is denied as there is no evidence that the benign cyst may be related to ionizing radiation exposure during service.
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