The Board found that the Veteran's RSD is not caused or aggravated by medications taken for his service-connected bilateral knee chondromalacia, and thus denied his claim for service connection.
The deciding factor: The VA examination report indicated that the current RSD is less likely than not caused by or a result of the service-connected chondromalacia of both knees.
- Claimed conditions
- reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 20, 2018
- Citation
- 1816641
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 1816641.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for additional examination and opinion regarding whether the Veteran's RSD is related to service or her service-connected left ankle sprain.
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The Veteran's claims for service connection for insomnia and RSD are being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions.
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The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for insomnia and RSD due to conflicting VA examination opinions regarding their etiology. The Veteran's attorney asserts that both conditions are related to his service-connected PTSD, but the January 2021 VA examiner found no link between the Veteran's insomnia and service. For RSD, the June 2020 VA examiner concluded there was no relationship with service or fibromyalgia.
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