The veteran is seeking service connection for osteoarthritis of both knees, which he claims was caused by parachute jumps during his military service. The VA has requested the veteran's service medical records but they were destroyed in a fire at the National Personnel Records Center. A VA examination will be scheduled to determine if there is a link between the veteran's current osteoarthritis and his military service.
The deciding factor: The VA needs to obtain updated service records and conduct an orthopedic examination to determine whether the veteran's osteoarthritis of both knees is related to his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- osteoarthritis of both knees
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 20, 2007
- Citation
- 0721931
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 0721931.
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 Veteran's spouse is not eligible for the full-dollar rate of DIC benefits due to her residence in the Philippines, and her service was with the Commonwealth Army of the Philippines. The Appellant does not meet the criteria for increased DIC based on need for aid and attendance or being housebound.
- Granted
The Board has determined that an effective date of October 1, 2004, is granted for the grant of service connection for prostate cancer, bilateral hearing loss, osteoarthritis of both knees, and degenerative joint disease of the left shoulder.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's osteoarthritis of both knees is not related to service or his service-connected left ankle and foot disorder, and thus denied the claim.
- Granted
The Veteran's multiple disabilities, including bronchial asthma, renal insufficiency, diabetes mellitus, dextroscoliosis of the lumbar spine, osteoarthritis of both knees, and cataract, are reasonably certain to continue throughout his life and sufficiently severe to prevent him from following a substantially gainful occupation. The Board grants nonservice-connected pension benefits based on permanent and total disability.
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