The Board has ordered a remand to obtain an addendum opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's service-connected knee and hip disabilities and his lumbar spine DJD, including as secondary.
The deciding factor: The remand is necessary due to the need for clarification on whether the Veteran's antalgic gait caused or aggravated his lumbar spine DJD.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine degenerative joint disease (DJD), left hip replacement, chondromalacia of the right knee, sprain and chondromalacia of the left knee
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 19, 2018
- Citation
- 1803707
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 1803707.
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 Board's September 4, 2025 decision was vacated due to a failure to address clear and unmistakable error arguments, depriving the Veteran of due process.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for multiple conditions was dismissed due to the untimely filing of the Board Appeal request.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an adequate opinion to determine if the Veteran's left hip replacement was aggravated by his service-connected lumbar spine disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for chondromalacia of the right knee as secondary to residuals of fracture of the right lateral malleolus/foot due to an inadequate VA examination.
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