The Veteran's claims for increased ratings are being remanded to obtain updated VA treatment records and to schedule the Veteran for appropriate VA examinations to assess the severity of his service-connected left knee, left ring finger, and left little finger disabilities.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that new, more contemporaneous examinations are needed prior to a final adjudication of the Veteran's claims due to the possibility of worsening symptoms since the last examination in May 2010.
- Claimed conditions
- left knee degenerative joint disease, degenerative arthritis of the left hand ring finger, status post fusion of the left hand little finger at the proximal interphalangeal joint with osteoarthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 10, 2015
- Citation
- 1506076
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 1506076.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a VA examination to assess the severity of his left knee disability, including without considering the ameliorative effects of medication.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals were withdrawn, and his claims for increased ratings and service connection were dismissed. The Board found no evidence of ankylosis or other disabling conditions that would warrant higher ratings.
- Denied
The Veteran's left knee disability was not shown to be related to service or any service-connected conditions, and the Board denied his claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected right and left knee degenerative joint disease with painful motion due to a lack of consideration of the ameliorative effects of medication use, specifically Gel-One knee injections and Motrin/ibuprofen.
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