The appeal for service connection for degenerative joint disease of the right ankle is being remanded to the RO for further development.
The deciding factor: There is a need for an additional medical examination and opinion regarding the etiology of the veteran's current right ankle disability, as there are similar complaints noted in service and a diagnosis of arthritis less than two years later.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative joint disease of the right ankle, Degenerative joint disease of the left hip
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 10, 2009
- Citation
- 0904695
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,084 · Granted: 20% (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 0904695.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for degenerative joint disease of the right ankle but granted a separate rating for instability.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for degenerative joint disease of the right hip, left hip, and left shoulder, as well as PTSD. The claim for a higher rating for the right knee scar was denied.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for degenerative joint disease of the right and left hips, as well as degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine and lumbar spine, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran's surviving spouse.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected left hip, left shoulder, and cervical spine disabilities due to his failure to report for scheduled VA examinations without good cause.
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