The Veteran's claim of service connection for a back condition has been reopened, and the Board finds that new and material evidence has been received. The case is REMANDED for further examination to determine the nature and etiology of any current back condition and whether it is related to his service-connected right knee condition.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claim was previously denied due to lack of appeal, but new evidence has reopened the claim. Further examination is needed to assess the relationship between the Veteran's back condition and his service-connected right knee condition.
- Claimed conditions
- Back Condition, Right Knee Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) and Medial and Lateral Meniscus Repair with Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- July 31, 2019
- Citation
- 19159497
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 19159497.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
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.
- Whole decision: Denied
The August 1996 rating decision denied service connection for a back condition due to the claim being considered not well-grounded, as there was no current disability and no evidence of in-service injury or disease.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found a pre-decisional duty-to-assist error in the VA examination for service connection of the back condition and requires an addendum opinion to address whether it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran's back disability began in service or was caused by any incident of service.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted effective dates of August 12, 2024 for the awards of a 50% rating for sinusitis and a 40% rating for intervertebral disc syndrome of the lumbar spine. Service connection for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve was also granted effective on that date.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for right knee, left knee, and back conditions due to inadequate medical opinions provided by VA. The Veteran is seeking service connection for these conditions, which he asserts had its onset during active service.
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