The Veteran's claim for service connection for a left knee disorder, to include as secondary to her service-connected chronic lumbar strain with degenerative disc disease (DDD), is denied.,The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating prior to February 14, 2019 and in excess of 70 percent thereafter for major depressive disorder with adjustment disorder with anxious mood remains pending. A remand is needed to obtain private records relevant to her service-connected acquired psychiatric disability and determine the etiology of her current right knee disorder.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for a right knee disorder, to include as secondary to her service-connected chronic lumbar strain with DDD, is also pending. A remand is needed to provide an opinion regarding the etiology of her current right knee disorder.
The deciding factor: No probative and competent evidence demonstrates a current diagnosis of a left knee disorder at any time since separation from service in July 2004.,Private records relevant to the Veteran's service-connected acquired psychiatric disability are not associated with the claims file, and a remand is needed to obtain these records. Additionally, an opinion regarding the etiology of her current right knee disorder is needed as the VA examiner did not provide such an opinion in the August 2016 VA DBQ examination.,The Veteran reported right knee pain since 2015 at the August 2016 VA examination, but no medical evidence supports a direct link between her service-connected chronic lumbar strain with DDD and her current right knee disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- left knee disorder, right knee disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 19, 2019
- Citation
- 19173082
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 19173082.
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.
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The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty-to-assist error, and will need an opinion regarding whether the Veteran's right knee disorder is related to his parachute jumps during service.
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