The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for bilateral knee disorders due to conflicting medical opinions and a need for clarification. The case will be returned for further evaluation.
The deciding factor: There is significant discrepancy among previous VA and private medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran’s current bilateral knee disabilities, necessitating a clarifying opinion from an appropriate VA examiner.
- Claimed conditions
- left knee chondromalacia patella with degenerative joint disease, right knee chondromalacia patella with degenerative joint disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 29, 2019
- Citation
- 19181185
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 entitlement to specially adapted housing due to a permanent and total disability rating based on service-connected lower extremity disabilities that preclude locomotion without the regular use of a cane.
- Denied
The Board has vacated the June 2005 decision and remanded the case due to missing medical evidence from 1996 to 1999. The veteran's left knee disability is currently evaluated as 10 percent disabling, with arthritis shown by x-ray findings, painful motion, and not more than mild limitation of flexion.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a medical examination to determine if the Veteran's current neck strain is related to his in-service activities.
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