The Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to the need for a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of his right arm condition, bilateral knee pain, and bilateral foot pain.
The deciding factor: The Board finds there was a pre-decisional duty to assist error in not obtaining a VA examination and medical opinion regarding the Veteran's claims for service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- Right arm condition, Bilateral knee pain (right and left), Bilateral foot pain (right and left)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 14, 2026
- Citation
- A26034018
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 A26034018.
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 determined that the Veteran does not have a current right arm condition, and thus service connection for this condition is denied. The claims of entitlement to initial compensable evaluations for left fifth finger strain, an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for left fifth finger strain, and service connection for right hand strain, right fingers condition, and bilateral wrist conditions are remanded due to inadequate VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that there was not substantial compliance with the January 2021 remand directives and thus, the claims are being returned for further development.
- Granted
The Veteran's sleep apnea was granted service connection as it began during his active duty service.,The right arm condition is remanded for further examination to determine if it is secondary to the service-connected right shoulder rotator cuff repair.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left arm conditions, finding that there is no evidence to support a relationship between these conditions and her service-connected cervical spine condition or thoracic/lumbar strain with degenerative arthritis.
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