The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for left ankle and left knee disabilities, as secondary to his service-connected right knee and ankle disabilities. The VA will obtain additional medical opinions addressing causation and aggravation of these conditions.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner is required to address both causation and aggravation in determining whether the Veteran's current disabilities are related to or aggravated by his service-connected conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- left ankle disability, left knee osteoarthritis
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 28, 2020
- Citation
- 20006753
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 denied service connection for multiple conditions, including bilateral hearing loss and various musculoskeletal issues, as well as an initial rating in excess of 0 percent for rhinitis. However, the Board granted a 70 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various disabilities to the AOJ for further development and consideration of evidence not previously considered.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection, higher ratings, and earlier effective dates, as well as dismissed his claim for a TDIU.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for right ankle, left ankle, back disability, and other conditions as there is no evidence of a current disability related to the Veteran's military service.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.