The Board has determined that the claims for increased ratings and service connection are inextricably intertwined with the TDIU claim. Therefore, the TDIU claim is not yet ripe for appellate review and must be deferred pending readjudication of the other remanded claims.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service-connected disabilities may impact his ability to work, which could affect his entitlement to a total rating based on individual employability due to service-connected disabilities (TDIU).
- Claimed conditions
- arthritis of the right knee status post total knee replacement, degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, degenerative arthritis of the left ankle, degenerative arthritis of the right ankle, bilateral foot disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 24, 2018
- Citation
- 18100892
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 18100892.
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 Board has remanded the case due to incomplete development of records and will provide a supplemental statement of the case if necessary.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's lumbar spine arthritis is aggravated by his service-connected bilateral knee disabilities, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral foot disability is related to his active military service and grants service connection for this condition.
- Granted
The Veteran's low back disability was rated at 40% prior to September 28, 2018. From that date, the rating was increased to 50%. The earlier effective date for TDIU is denied.
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