The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected left knee, right foot, and left foot disabilities are remanded due to the need for additional development including obtaining updated private medical records from Dr. B.O., scheduling a VA examination for his left knee disability, and providing an addendum opinion regarding his bilateral feet disabilities.
The deciding factor: The claims require further development as there is a lack of recent medical evidence and the Veteran's complaints about flare-ups and functional loss need to be addressed in detail.
- Claimed conditions
- left knee anterior cruciate ligament tear status post reconstruction with patellofemoral pain syndrome and degenerative joint disease, degenerative joint disease of the left foot, degenerative joint disease of the right foot
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 7, 2019
- Citation
- 19109838
Veterans Law Judge
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19109838.
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 service connection for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, erectile dysfunction, benign prostatic hypertrophy, memory disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, lumbar spine disability (chronic low back pain), chronic cervical strain, allergic rhinitis, gastrointestinal disabilities, colon diverticulosis, and degenerative joint diseases of multiple joints. The Board found no evidence to support service connection for any of these conditions.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for service connection for left heel bone spurs and degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine were denied. The claim for a higher evaluation for the lumbar spine disability was granted with limitations, but the issue remains pending. The case is remanded for further development regarding the left foot disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's initial claim for a higher rating for his right foot degenerative joint disease is being remanded due to the need for additional VA clinical records and an examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected residuals of a sprain, left big toe and degenerative changes of the left foot, as well as his residuals of a fracture, right big toe with degenerative joint disease of the foot. The Board found that the manifestations did not meet criteria for higher than 10 percent ratings.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.