The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and scheduling the Veteran for a VA examination to determine if his bilateral knee arthritis, bilateral ankle disorder, or lumbar spine disorder are related to service.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that new evidence has been received but does not establish a current diagnosis of any claimed disabilities. The Veteran's lay statements regarding in-service onset and continuity of symptoms since service must be considered.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Knee Arthritis, Bilateral Ankle Disorder, Lumbar Spine Disorder
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20004070
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 an effective date of February 12, 2013 for special monthly compensation (SMC) based on statutory housebound criteria.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's appeal for a higher initial rating for bilateral hearing loss and remanded issues related to service connection for knee and lumbar spine disorders.
- Granted
The Board granted earlier effective dates of February 1, 2021, for the awards of service connection and secondary service connection for various disabilities.
- Partly granted
The Board denied an initial rating greater than 70 percent for adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood, granted TDIU from January 8, 2020 to June 19, 2022, and granted DEA benefits effective the same date.
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