The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral knee disorders and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete development, including a lack of VA medical records and service treatment records. The AOJ is instructed to obtain these records and provide clarifying opinions from VA examiners regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's conditions.
The deciding factor: The decision was remanded for additional development as there were gaps in the record that needed to be filled, particularly with respect to medical records and service treatment records.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral knee disorders, acquired psychiatric disorder (to include posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD))
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 2, 2020
- Citation
- 20000245
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 Veteran's service connection for tinnitus was granted, while the claim for bilateral hearing loss was denied. Several other claims were remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for a back disorder, heart disorder, left hip disorder, bilateral knee disorders, and headaches to provide the Veteran with notice of his right to request a pre-decisional hearing.
- Dismissed
The appeal seeking revision or reversal of the April 2020 Board decision that denied a motion to revise or reverse on the basis of CUE a November 2017 Board decision that denied service connection for bilateral knee disorders is dismissed.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for lumbosacral strain, but remanded the claims for headaches, heart disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus type II, lung disorder, erectile dysfunction, bilateral shoulder disorders, bilateral knee disorders, and bilateral ankle disorders.
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