The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional medical records and a clarification of the relationship between the Veteran's service-connected arthritis and his death from pulmonary fibrosis.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions are unclear, and further clarification is needed regarding the relationship between the Veteran's service-connected arthritis and his death.
- Claimed conditions
- right femur fracture with degenerative joint disease, residual injury of the left knee with degenerative joint disease, residual of a right ankle fracture with degenerative joint disease, left great toe fracture of the distal phalanx, left second toe ankylosis, left ribs fracture, coccidioidomycosis, left knee scars
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 30, 2011
- Citation
- 1147389
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 1147389.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for left and right knee scars have been dismissed due to the Veteran's withdrawal of his appeal.
- Denied
The Board denied an initial compensable rating for left knee scars, finding that the evidence did not support a higher evaluation as the combined area of the Veteran's scars was less than the required threshold for a 10% rating.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure or follow any form of substantially gainful employment prior to March 26, 2020. The effective date for the grant of TDIU is set at December 11, 2019.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's requests for earlier effective dates for service connection of his left knee strain and scars, finding that the earliest possible effective date was May 29, 2020, based on when he submitted a request to reopen his previously denied claims.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.