The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional examinations to determine the current severity of his bilateral knee and right heel disabilities.
The deciding factor: The Veteran has alleged worsening symptoms since his last VA examination, which must be addressed with a new evaluation.
- Claimed conditions
- status post closed fracture of left hand fourth and fifth metacarpal, right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome (right knee disability), left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome (left knee disability), right heel sprain (right heel disability)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 18, 2018
- Citation
- 18158575
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 18158575.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied earlier effective dates for the awards of service connection for various disabilities, including PTSD with other specified depressive disorder and multiple wrist and finger pain conditions.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for coronary artery disease and irregular heartbeat, granted a 40 percent initial rating for low back disability, and denied an increased rating for left knee disability. The Board also granted a 20 percent initial rating for bilateral dry eye syndrome.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection of right knee disability, to include as secondary to PTSD and right ankle disabilities, with obesity as an intermediate step, for additional evidentiary development.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of October 17, 2017 for the award of service connection for left elbow limitation of flexion and left cubital tunnel syndrome (CTS), but denied earlier effective dates for other conditions.
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