The Veteran's previously denied claims for service connection for back, left knee, and right knee disabilities are reopened. The Board has ordered the AOJ to obtain a new medical opinion addressing whether the Veteran’s current back disability is related to his service-connected bilateral ankle disability.
The deciding factor: The evidence suggests that changes in the Veteran's gait due to his service-connected bilateral ankle disability may have contributed to the development or aggravation of his current back disability, but the VA examiner found no information indicating an antalgic gait.
- Claimed conditions
- back, left knee, right knee, left hip, right hip
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 27, 2019
- Citation
- 19166118
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,156 · Granted: 29% (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 19166118.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted an effective date of December 10, 2015 for total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) and basic eligibility to Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA). The decision also grants earlier effective dates for these benefits.
- Granted
The Veteran's TDIU was granted effective April 8, 2020. The Board found that VA failed to properly notify the Veteran of his intent to file a claim and thus the earlier date is valid.
- Denied
The Veteran's service connection claims for left ankle, right ankle, right hand, and left hand conditions are denied.,The Veteran's service connection claim for right hip condition is denied.,The Veteran's service connection claim for left hip condition is denied.,The Veteran's service connection claim for left wrist condition is denied.,The Veteran's service connection claim for right wrist condition is denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection regarding his left knee, right knee condition, and coronary artery disease require further examination and medical opinion due to a lack of a VA examination in connection with these claims.
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.