The Board has determined that the issues of service connection for back pain, hemorrhoids, right knee degenerative arthritis, and left knee degenerative arthritis should be remanded due to procedural errors in obtaining service treatment records.
The deciding factor: Procedural errors were identified in obtaining the Veteran's service treatment records from active duty and National Guard service. The Board finds that these records are necessary for a proper evaluation of the Veteran's claims.
- Claimed conditions
- back pain, hemorrhoids, right knee degenerative arthritis, left knee degenerative arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 26, 2020
- Citation
- A20009288
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 A20009288.
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 has granted service connection for right knee disability, left knee arthritis, and bilateral knee instability. The decision is based on the Veteran's competent and credible lay evidence regarding the onset of symptoms in service.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for service connection for left knee degenerative arthritis is dismissed. The claims for service connection for psychiatric disability, bilateral hearing loss, and other conditions are granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted service connection for cervical spine degenerative arthritis. The claims for back pain and right upper extremity radiculopathy are remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for left knee degenerative arthritis and shin splints due to insufficient rationale in the previous VA examination. The case is now pending with a request for a new opinion.
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