The Veteran's initial claim of service connection for hypogonadism was granted, but the Board denied an increased rating beyond 10 percent. The issues of service connection for back disability, left knee disability, right knee disability, and left ankle disability are remanded due to inadequate medical opinions.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner's opinions were insufficient as they did not provide a clear rationale linking the Veteran’s current disabilities to his service-connected conditions or antalgic gait.
- Claimed conditions
- hypogonadism, back disability (degenerative disc disease and bulging discs), left knee disability (patellar tendonitis), right knee disability (patellar tendonitis), left ankle disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 24, 2018
- Citation
- 18105386
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 18105386.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
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 expanded the scope of the claim to include any mental health disorder raised by the record and has remanded for additional development regarding service connection for left leg, ankle, and psychiatric disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for left, right ankle disabilities, left and right hip disabilities, left and right shin splints, and left and right knee disabilities due to inadequate nexus opinions in the VA examination reports. The Veteran contends that her current disabilities are related to injuries sustained during basic training.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection of left knee disability, tension headaches, a left ankle disability, and a back disability due to the Veteran's death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to new evidence received, and a need for additional medical opinions considering the Veteran's military occupation as a water safety survival instructor.
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