The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a medical examination to determine the presence and etiology of any left hip disorder. The issues include service connection for left hip arthritis as secondary to right knee and right ankle conditions, an increased rating for right ankle degenerative joint disease, and service connection for a right shoulder disorder.
The deciding factor: The appeal is being remanded due to ambiguity in the claims file and the need for additional medical evaluation to determine the presence of any left hip disorder and its relationship to other service-connected conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- left hip arthritis, right knee arthritis, post-traumatic degenerative joint disease of the right ankle
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 14, 2004
- Citation
- 0418734
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 0418734.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, finding that the evidence did not support higher ratings or service connection for the claimed conditions.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right hip arthritis and a TDIU as of June 8, 2020, while denying increased ratings for sciatica, left hip arthritis, and bilateral hearing loss.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for right knee arthritis, finding that the Veteran's condition is related to his active duty service.
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