The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for lower back, right hip, and left hip disabilities due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors. The Veteran's disabilities are being evaluated based on their direct relationship to his service.
The deciding factor: The VA failed to consider whether the Veteran's hip and back disabilities were aggravated by his service-connected left knee disability in its initial decision.
- Claimed conditions
- lower back degenerative disc disease, right hip arthrosis, left hip arthrosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 15, 2026
- Citation
- A26034950
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 A26034950.
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 Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's back disability and basal cell carcinoma, finding that new evidence submitted after a prior final denial supports these claims.,Service connection is granted for the Veteran's back disability, with reasonable doubt resolved in favor of the Veteran.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render her unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board has granted entitlement to total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a VA examination to assess the severity of the Veteran's left hip arthrosis and its impact on his range of motion. The decision regarding service connection for left ankle arthritis remains denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that the Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, COPD and emphysema, and lower back degenerative disc disease should be remanded due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
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