The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for a neurological disability of the right knee, but remanded to obtain additional medical opinions and evidence.
The deciding factor: New evidence submitted by the Veteran suggests a possible link between his current neurological disability affecting his right knee and in-service exposure to chemicals. The Board finds this sufficient to reopen the claim, but requires further examination and opinion regarding causation.
- Claimed conditions
- neurological disability of the right knee
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 16, 2019
- Citation
- 19194293
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 880 · Granted: 26% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 19194293.
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 has determined that the Veteran's neurological disability of the right knee is not caused or aggravated by his service-connected right knee arthritis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran is seeking service connection for a neurological disability of the right knee that he believes is secondary to his service-connected arthritis. The Board has determined that an additional examination and opinion are needed to address these claims.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and providing proper notice regarding secondary service connection.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD was reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence. The appeal is granted as his PTSD is now considered service-connected.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.