The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for traumatic brain injury, right knee strain, left knee strain, cervical strain prior to June 17, 2016, and lumbosacral strain from June 17, 2016 due to incomplete medical opinions regarding the relationship between his service-connected disabilities and his claimed conditions.
The deciding factor: The Board found that additional medical opinions are needed to address whether the Veteran's altered body mechanics caused by his lumbosacral spine disability has caused or aggravated his bilateral knee strain.
- Claimed conditions
- Traumatic brain injury, Right knee strain, Left knee strain, Cervical strain prior to June 17, 2016, Lumbosacral strain from June 17, 2016
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 26, 2019
- Citation
- 19189542
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 19189542.
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 service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, while remanding claims for depression, anxiety, sleep disorder, right knee strain, left knee strain, and lumbar spine strain.
- Granted
The Board granted increased 20 percent disability ratings for the back, right knee, and left knee disabilities but denied a higher rating for bilateral pes planus and a compensable rating for the right anterior knee scar.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, bilateral tinnitus, facial numbness (Bell's palsy), gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and right knee strain. The claims for a left knee strain, major depressive disorder with anxious distress, cervical neck strain, lumbosacral strain, and bilateral foot disability were remanded.
- Denied
The appeal for an increased rating for left hip, the claims for entitlement to an earlier effective date and an increased rating for right knee strain, and the appeal for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for left shoulder strain were dismissed. The claim for a 40 percent rating from June 24, 2021 for degenerative disc disease was granted.
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