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Board of Veterans' Appeals · Legacy series

Entitlement to service connection for a left calf condition is remanded.

January 30, 2026Citation Nr. 26001442Docket 17-00 061Ava.gov source

  • Entitlement to service connection for a left calf conditionRemanded
  • Entitlement to service connection for a left knee conditionRemanded

Board reasoning

The Board remands for VA examinations to determine if the left calf cramps and pain are the same or different symptoms and whether they affect the same function as the left leg radiculopathy, and (if applicable) whether the left knee condition is caused or aggravated by the left calf cramping or its treatment. It emphasizes the need for medical opinion to resolve potential separate disability and interrelation, citing the need to distinguish symptomatology and functional impact and to obtain etiological and aggravation opinions with proper rationale.

Issues

  • Entitlement to service connection for a left calf conditionRemanded
  • Entitlement to service connection for a left knee conditionRemanded

Authorities

  • Harris v. Derwinski, 1 Vet. App. 180Remand interdependence of claims question regarding intertwined issues
  • Bailey v. Wilkie, 33 Vet. App. 188Court guidance on distinguishing separate symptomatology and functional impairment
  • Colvin v. Derwinski, 1 Vet. App. 171Board cannot make independent medical findings; need medical opinion
  • Smith v. Wilkie, 32 Vet. App. 332Implicit credibility considerations in remand decisions

Extracted with gpt-5-nano-2025-08-07. Citations are kept only when they appear in the decision text.