The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for low back, right knee, and right ankle disorders due to inadequate examination reports and failure to consider secondary service connection.
The deciding factor: The examination reports were inadequate as they did not review all relevant medical records including private treatment records and SSA records. The Veteran's theories of entitlement (secondary service connection) were not considered in the previous examinations.
- Claimed conditions
- Low back disorder, Right knee disorder, Right ankle disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 20, 2018
- Citation
- 18151735
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 18151735.
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 Veteran's claim for a low back disorder was reopened, and his claims for increased ratings of bilateral knee instability were granted. His hearing loss claim was denied.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a low back disorder. The claims for bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, bilateral knee disorder, and an acquired psychiatric disorder are remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection and TDIU due to duty to assist errors that occurred prior to the rating decision on appeal. The Veteran's right knee disorder is being remanded for an addendum opinion regarding its etiology.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a low back disorder, finding that the evidence did not show an in-service onset or relationship to service.
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