The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for low back pain, left knee condition, right knee condition, left ankle condition, and right ankle condition due to inadequate VA examinations. The Veteran's statements and private treatment records indicate she had injuries in service, but the VA examinations did not consider these factors or provide a rationale for their conclusions.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations were found to be inadequate as they did not consider the Veteran’s statements regarding her in-service injuries and did not address the STR entries and medical records that support her claims.
- Claimed conditions
- low back pain, lumbar spine degenerative arthritis, left knee condition, right knee condition, left ankle condition, right ankle condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 3, 2018
- Citation
- 18155233
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 18155233.
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 claim for service connection of a low back disability was reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence. The claim is denied as there is no evidence that the current condition is related to service.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for increased disability ratings for his left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome and left ankle condition have been dismissed due to the withdrawal of the appeal by the Veteran's representative.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to their death during the pendency of the appeal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found the eligibility determination for PCAFC enrollment to be legally inadequate and remanded for a new medical opinion that adequately addresses the criteria for eligibility as set forth in VA regulations.
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