The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for right knee degenerative arthritis, left knee degenerative arthritis, peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity due to frostbite, and peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity due to frostbite. The VA examiner found that there is no indication prior to 2014 that the Veteran suffered any complications from these conditions.
The deciding factor: The July 2017 VA examiner's opinion was based on an inaccurate factual premise, as it did not consider the Veteran’s lay statements regarding service incurrence and continuity of symptoms since service.
- Claimed conditions
- right knee degenerative arthritis, left knee degenerative arthritis, peripheral neuropathy right lower due to frostbite, peripheral neuropathy left lower due to frostbite
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 27, 2019
- Citation
- 19166137
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 19166137.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied a disability rating in excess of 10 percent for right knee meniscal tear with degenerative arthritis and granted a separate 20 percent rating for right knee instability.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for lumbar spine degenerative arthritis, left and right lower extremity radiculopathies, left and right hip pain, right knee degenerative arthritis, generalized anxiety disorder, and depressive disorder.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for left knee degenerative arthritis and a rating of 30 percent for left knee joint instability, while remanding other issues.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for tinnitus and right knee osteoarthritis, but denied service connection for left knee degenerative arthritis, right hand degenerative arthritis, left hand degenerative arthritis, left shoulder subdeltoid bursitis (claimed as degenerative arthritis), right shoulder strain (claimed as degenerative arthritis), major depressive disorder, and an anxiety disorder.
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