The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining a clarifying addendum opinion from the December 2016 VA knee examiner regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected bilateral knee disabilities aggravate his paraplegia. The automobile with adaptive equipment claim is inextricably intertwined with the secondary service connection claim and must be deferred pending resolution of the latter.
The deciding factor: The Board has determined that the determination on the service connection for paraplegia claim will impact the adjudication of the automobile with adaptive equipment claim, thus both claims are remanded to allow for further development.
- Claimed conditions
- paraplegia with loss of use of both lower extremities, postoperative osteochondritis dissecans of both knees
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 8, 2018
- Citation
- 18148787
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 18148787.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for paraplegia with loss of use of both lower extremities, as secondary to his service-connected bilateral knee postoperative osteochondritis dissecans.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and arranging for any further development suggested by those records. The Veteran's claim of secondary service connection for paraplegia is being reconsidered.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's paraplegia with loss of use of both lower extremities is not secondary to his service-connected bilateral knee disabilities and denied the claim.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that additional development is needed to address the Veteran's claims, including obtaining medical records and arranging for a VA examination.
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