The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for left and right leg amputations, which are claimed to be secondary to service-connected cellulitis. The VA medical opinions provided prior to the decision were not in accordance with the law regarding secondary service connection.
The deciding factor: VA medical opinions did not provide an adequate opinion in accordance with the ruling in Spicer v. McDonough (2023).
- Claimed conditions
- left leg amputation, right leg amputation
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 14, 2026
- Citation
- A26034144
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 A26034144.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's effective date for service connection of left leg amputation and associated scars, as well as SMC based on loss of use of the left leg, is set to January 28, 2022. The effective date for DEA eligibility is also set to January 28, 2022. An effective date prior to January 28, 2022, was denied for service connection of chronic headaches.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected chronic kidney disease contributed substantially to his death, which was listed as the immediate cause of death. Therefore, the Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for heart disorder, DM, BLE neuropathy, and right leg amputation as the evidence did not show these conditions were related to service or a service-connected disability.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, stroke residuals as secondary to service-connected diabetes mellitus, and right leg amputation as secondary to service-connected diabetes mellitus. The decision is based on the Veteran's in-service exposure to toxic fumes, chemicals, and AFFF which are believed to have caused his current disabilities.
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