The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations and medical opinions, to determine if his claimed bilateral knee arthritis, bilateral ankle disorder, and lumbar spine disorder are related to service.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that further examination and opinion are necessary to properly assess the Veteran's claims as they pertain to the nature and etiology of his current disabilities.
- 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
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,432 · Granted: 29% (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 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for an initial compensable rating for service-connected IBS, service connection for a lumbar spine disorder, and service connection for a right foot disorder require further examination and consideration due to incomplete medical opinions and lack of evidence regarding the onset and continuity of symptoms.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an effective date before May 15, 2015, for service connection of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) due to insufficient evidence linking OSA to his bilateral knee condition.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right leg and lumbar spine disorders, finding no evidence of such conditions during periods of active or inactive duty training.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected conditions, including PTSD and multiple orthopedic disabilities, have rendered her unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment since March 6, 2013.
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