The Board has decided to remand the claims of service connection for bilateral knee and hip disabilities due to inadequate VA examinations. New examinations are needed to address both direct and secondary service connection.
The deciding factor: The previous VA examinations did not adequately address the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral knee and hip disabilities, focusing instead on his already service-connected lumbar spine disability.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral knee disabilities, bilateral hip disabilities
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 4, 2019
- Citation
- 19183396
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 Board granted the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to his service-connected bilateral foot and knee disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for a right shoulder disability, bilateral knee disabilities, and low back disability due to insufficient evidence.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted special monthly compensation (SMC) based on aid and attendance due to his service-connected disabilities.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for back pain stiffness and denied increased ratings for the Veteran's bilateral hip disabilities, but granted a 10 percent rating for limitation of adduction in both hips.
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