The veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for PTSD and the issue of whether new and material evidence has been received to reopen a claim for service connection for a left knee disability are being remanded for further development.
The deciding factor: Further medical evaluation is needed to assess the current severity of the veteran's PTSD, as his symptoms have reportedly worsened since his last examination. Additionally, the RO/AMC should obtain any relevant VA treatment records and consider obtaining an opinion regarding the left knee issue if necessary.
- Claimed conditions
- Left knee disability, Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 8, 2008
- Citation
- 0811479
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,435 · Granted: 22% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0811479.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's TDIU claim for bilateral knee disabilities and his right and left knee scars have been granted. He is now rated at a combined 60% disability rating from June 1, 2018 based on bilateral factors for his bilateral knee disabilities.
- Granted
The Veteran's entitlement to higher level of SMC at the intermediate rate is granted, effective from January 8, 2021. He was previously in need of aid and attendance due to his left knee disability since February 1, 2017, and now has additional disabilities rated at 50 percent or more.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his bilateral lower extremity conditions and PTSD, resulted in a loss of use of both lower extremities such that he is entitled to specially adapted housing.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders and their relationship to service.
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