The Board has remanded the claims for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's bilateral foot and knee disabilities.
The deciding factor: The August 2014 VA examiner did not provide sufficient opinions regarding the Veteran’s diagnoses of talar coalition, venous insufficiency, and right lower limb ischemia, nor did they discuss whether these additional disabilities are related to service. The Board also found that the August 2014 examiner's opinion on the relationship between the bilateral knee disability and service was contrary to the evidence of record.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral knee osteoarthritis, talar coalition feet, venous insufficiency, right lower limb ischemia
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 12, 2019
- Citation
- 19117905
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,776 · Granted: 24% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
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 19117905.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew her appeal and hearing request for increased ratings of persistent depressive disorder, intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS), bilateral sciatic nerve radiculopathy, and bilateral knee osteoarthritis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral knee osteoarthritis, bilateral elbow nerve damage, and bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome must be remanded due to a failure to provide a VA examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for bilateral knee osteoarthritis and obstructive sleep apnea due to insufficient evidence regarding whether these conditions are related to service-connected disabilities or other factors. The VA must obtain additional medical opinions addressing causation and aggravation.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral knee osteoarthritis and pain are found to have manifested during active service, meeting the criteria for service connection.
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