The Veteran's service-connected knee and ankle disabilities have worsened since his last VA examination, necessitating new evaluations to determine appropriate disability ratings.
The deciding factor: New evidence of worsening symptoms has been presented by the Veteran, warranting further evaluation to determine current severity levels.
- Claimed conditions
- right knee (status-post total knee replacement), left knee - DJD with patellofemoral pain, right ankle - DJD with Achilles tendinitis, left ankle - DJD with Achilles tendinitis, left groin strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 29, 2020
- Citation
- 20007766
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, left foot plantar fasciitis with bilateral pes planus, and right ankle chronic instability but denied service connection for a left groin strain.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for left and right groin strains, a skin condition (excluding pseudofolliculitis barbae), and right ear hearing loss as there is no evidence of current disabilities.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed all issues of entitlement to service connection or disability ratings for various conditions as the appellant withdrew his appeal prior to a decision being made.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
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