The Board has remanded the claims for additional evaluations due to insufficient medical opinions regarding functional loss during flare-ups.
The deciding factor: The Joint Motion required an additional medical opinion on the degree of additional functional loss experienced by the Veteran during flare-ups prior to July 30, 2015.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative joint and disc disease of the cervical spine, Right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 14, 2020
- Citation
- 20003011
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 earlier effective dates of November 5, 2021, for the grants of service connection and eligibility for DEA benefits.
- Partly granted
The Board denied ratings in excess of 10 percent for left and right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome but granted a separate 10 percent rating for left knee instability. The claim for service connection for a back disorder was remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for additional development, specifically to obtain addendum medical opinions assessing the severity of the Veteran's service-connected cervical spine and right knee in terms of functional loss with weight bearing and passive motion.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral tinnitus and an initial 70 percent rating, but not higher, for persistent depressive disorder with anxious distress. Other claims were denied or remanded.
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