The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for various joint and back disabilities due to a lack of VA examinations, which were required by the Veterans Court. The Veteran's assertions include injuries from falls during service and wear and tear from his job as a bridge crewmember.
The deciding factor: VA failed to provide necessary VA examinations in connection with these claims.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the thoracic and lumbar spine with multi-level mid neural foraminal narrowing and mild to moderate spinal canal stenosis, DJD of the left hip, DJD of the right hip, DJD of the left foot, DJD of the right foot, DJD of the left ankle, DJD of the right ankle, DJD of the left knee, DJD of the right knee
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 21, 2026
- Citation
- A26037267
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 A26037267.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted restoration of a 40 percent rating for the Veteran's lumbar spine disability effective October 1, 2022, and denied ratings in excess of 20 percent prior to July 15, 2019, and in excess of 40 percent thereafter. The issues related to right knee instability and other claims were remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for diabetes mellitus, right elbow condition, and right leg condition due to a lack of adequate medical opinions regarding the causal nexus between his service and these conditions. The increased rating claims for bilateral knee disabilities and right Achilles tendonitis are also being remanded.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for residual pain from right hand injury, residual pain from fracture right little finger, disability manifested by low back pain, right foot metatarsalgia, DJD of the left knee, residuals of right knee replacement, and posttraumatic headaches.,Service connection is also granted for asthma.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including right knee patellar instability and other orthopedic conditions, have rendered her unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board has granted the TDIU claim based on these service-connected disabilities.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.