The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right ankle and left knee disabilities, as well as his claim for SMC based on housebound status due to incomplete records and inadequate examination reports. The Veteran will need to provide authorization for VA to obtain his prison records and complete forms for private orthopedist treatment. He may also be scheduled for examinations to determine the current severity of his service-connected right ankle and left knee disabilities.
The deciding factor: The claims are remanded due to incomplete medical records and inadequate examination reports, which could provide more information on the Veteran's disability levels and impact the decision on SMC based on housebound status.
- Claimed conditions
- arthritis of the right ankle, residuals of a left total knee replacement
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 26, 2019
- Citation
- 19132987
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 the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, as well as remanded several claims for further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for right and left knee conditions, thoracogenic scoliosis, and arthritis of the right ankle to obtain new medical opinions addressing pain and functional impairment.
- Dismissed
The veteran withdrew his appeals for service connection for various conditions, and these claims are therefore dismissed.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various joint disabilities, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current arthritis and his military service.
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