The Board has found that the VA examiner did not consider all relevant factors and directives, particularly regarding the Veteran's lay statements and medical opinions. The case is being remanded for further examination and opinion to address these issues.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner failed to consider whether the right knee disorder was proximately due to or the result of service-connected hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as the significance of the Veteran's lay statements and medical opinions.
- Claimed conditions
- osteoarthritis of the right knee
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 10, 2019
- Citation
- 19192477
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 19192477.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his lumbar spine herniated nucleus pulposus L3-4 with intervertebral disc syndrome, left knee osteoarthritis, and right knee osteoarthritis.
- Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities and lumbar spine disability, but granted a 20 percent rating for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine with spinal stenosis from April 4, 2017 to July 13, 2020.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have been found to render him unable to physically care for himself, thereby granting special monthly compensation based on the need for regular aid and attendance.
- Denied
The Board denied initial ratings in excess of 10 percent for the Veteran's right knee disabilities and special monthly compensation (SMC) at the housebound rate.
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