The Veteran's claims for initial compensable ratings for his left knee, bilateral ankle, and bilateral shin splint disabilities are remanded due to the need for additional medical examination. The TDIU claim is also remanded as part of this process.
The deciding factor: Additional medical evidence is needed to assess the severity of the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including range of motion testing in weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- left knee mild tendonitis, left ankle sprain, right ankle sprain, left shin splints, right shin splints
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19101495
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 20 percent rating for the service-connected right ankle sprain, but denied an increased rating in excess of 20 percent.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for bipolar disorder and denied increased ratings for the lumbar disability, left and right sciatica, and chronic sinusitis. However, it granted an increased rating of 40 percent from March 7, 2022, for left and right sciatic radiculopathy and restored a 30 percent rating for chronic sinusitis.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for left shoulder strain and left ankle sprain, finding that the evidence was in approximate balance showing injuries during active duty training (ADT) from August 12, 2023 to August 25, 2023.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for headaches, a bilateral wrist disability, a bilateral hip disability, facial scars, and a rating in excess of 10 percent for right ankle sprain.
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