The Board has vacated its previous decision dismissing the appeal of service connection for bilateral knee and sinus conditions. The right knee condition is remanded for a new examination, while the sinus condition requires an opinion on whether it had its onset in service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was a denial of due process as the AOJ had already made an initial substitution determination regarding the appellant as the surviving spouse and dismissed the appeal erroneously.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral knee condition, sinus condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19177492
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,772 · Granted: 37% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19177492.
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: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the VA examination provided in April 2024 was inadequate for adjudication purposes and remands the case for a new examination to determine if the Veteran's sinus condition is related to his military service.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for a shoulder condition, bilateral knee condition, and right hip condition. The Veteran's claims were based on current diagnoses of these conditions but the evidence did not support an in-service injury or disease.,The Board also noted that there was no nexus between the current disabilities and service due to lack of in-service complaints or injuries.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inadequate development of evidence, specifically failing to provide a VA examination or medical opinion regarding his claimed bilateral ankle, knee, low back, and left shoulder conditions. The claims are being returned to the AOJ for further action.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for sinus condition, left ear hearing loss, right ear hearing loss, and sleep apnea as there was no current disability related to these conditions during the pendency of the claim. The Veteran's self-reported symptoms were not supported by medical evidence.
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