The Veteran's left elbow degenerative joint disease is being remanded for further development as the VA examiner found it less likely than not caused by his service-connected left knee degenerative joint disease, but did not address whether it was due to using a cane. The case will be reviewed with an addendum opinion.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner's opinion did not address whether the Veteran’s left elbow degenerative joint disease was caused or aggravated by the use of a cane for his service-connected left knee degenerative joint disease.
- Claimed conditions
- left elbow degenerative joint disease
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 30, 2020
- Citation
- 20007454
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 20007454.
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 remanded the issues of service connection for headaches, painful surgical scar, left chest, hypertension, left elbow degenerative joint disease, and lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis and intervertebral disc syndrome due to incomplete VA treatment records.,No effective date earlier than specified dates was granted as there is no probative evidence showing the conditions had their onset during service or are otherwise related to service.
- Partly granted
The appeal for service connection for left elbow degenerative joint disease was dismissed due to improper concurrent elections, while the claims for left thumb pain, right thumb osteoarthritis, and right elbow degenerative joint disease were remanded for further development.
- Dismissed
The appeal of a proposed rating reduction for a lumbar disorder is dismissed, and the claim for service connection for dyslipidemia is denied. Several claims for service connection are remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral wrist strains and left elbow degenerative joint disease must be remanded due to a duty-to-assist error in failing to provide an adequate medical examination and opinion.
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