Original research
The Exam Problem: Why Board Appeals for the Top 10 Disabilities Get Remanded
For the ten most common service-connected disabilities, a large share of Board appeals are not granted or denied, they are REMANDED, sent back for more development, most often because the Board wants a new C&P examination or medical opinion before it can rule. Here is how often, and what the Board says was missing.
How this research is built: remand SHARE below refreshes weekly from the live published record. The reason breakdown (why the Board ordered a remand, and what defect it named when it ruled an exam or opinion inadequate) comes from a full-text classification of the Board's own language across the corpus, rebuilt periodically as the classifier improves, most recently August 2026 (remand reasons) and August 2026 (exam adequacy).
Remand share, top reason, and top exam defect, by condition
Remand share is remanded issues divided by all issues decided for that condition. The reason and defect columns show the single most common tag among tagged remands and ruled-inadequate decisions, respectively:
| # | Condition | Remand share | Top reason for remand | Top exam defect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Tinnitus DC 6260 | 23.2% |
Medical opinion or addendum ordered (74.8%) | Failed to address a contention or part of the condition (29.1%) |
| #2 | Limitation of flexion, knee DC 5260 | 40.8% |
Medical opinion or addendum ordered (88.6%) | Failed to address a contention or part of the condition (24.8%) |
| #3 | Paralysis of the sciatic nerve DC 8520 | 41.6% |
Medical opinion or addendum ordered (81.3%) | Failed to address a contention or part of the condition (25.4%) |
| #4 | Lumbosacral or cervical strain DC 5237 | 66% |
Medical opinion or addendum ordered (78.7%) | Failed to address a contention or part of the condition (27.6%) |
| #5 | Posttraumatic stress disorder DC 9411 | 37.8% |
Medical opinion or addendum ordered (67.1%) | Failed to address a contention or part of the condition (22.6%) |
| #6 | Hearing loss DC 6100 | 31.7% |
Medical opinion or addendum ordered (74%) | Failed to address a contention or part of the condition (25.2%) |
| #7 | Limitation of motion of the arm DC 5201 | 47.6% |
Medical opinion or addendum ordered (91.7%) | Failed to address a contention or part of the condition (26.8%) |
| #8 | Scars, burns (2nd degree) DC 7805 | 30.6% |
Medical opinion or addendum ordered (70.9%) | Failed to address a contention or part of the condition (23.7%) |
| #9 | Migraine DC 8100 | 40% |
Medical opinion or addendum ordered (83.9%) | Failed to address a contention or part of the condition (30.1%) |
| #10 | Limitation of motion of the ankle DC 5271 | 35.8% |
Medical opinion or addendum ordered (93.6%) | Failed to address a contention or part of the condition (28.4%) |
A closer look at the three highest-remand conditions
Lumbosacral or cervical strain DC 5237 · 66% remanded
Why the Board remanded (of 31,636 tagged remands)
When ruled inadequate, the defect named (of 25,565 decisions)
Limitation of motion of the arm DC 5201 · 47.6% remanded
Why the Board remanded (of 4,912 tagged remands)
When ruled inadequate, the defect named (of 4,271 decisions)
Paralysis of the sciatic nerve DC 8520 · 41.6% remanded
Why the Board remanded (of 17,674 tagged remands)
When ruled inadequate, the defect named (of 8,113 decisions)
Methodology
Remand share is issue-level: remanded issues divided by all issues decided for that condition, refreshed weekly. Remand-reason tags (new exam, medical opinion, records to obtain, etc.) are mined from the Board's remand-instruction language and are multi-tag, so a single remand's reasons can sum to more than 100%; requires at least 25 tagged remands per condition. Exam-inadequacy defects are mined from sentences where the Board itself, not a party's argument, rules an examination or opinion inadequate, classified into the reason named; requires at least 20 ruled decisions per condition. Both classifiers are rebuilt periodically as the underlying corpus and classification improve, not on the weekly cycle the remand-share numbers use.
Cite this research
RateMyVSO. (August 2026). The Exam Problem: Remand Rates and Reasons for the Ten Most Common Service-Connected Disabilities at the Board of Veterans' Appeals. https://ratemyvso.net/dc/exam-problem-report
Free to cite and link with attribution. Figures derived from published Board of Veterans' Appeals decisions.
Educational and encyclopedic only, not legal advice, and not a prediction of any individual appeal. For help with a claim, find a VA-accredited representative.