The Board has decided that the Veteran's bilateral hip strain with osteoarthritis claims must be remanded to obtain an addendum opinion regarding whether his service-connected disabilities caused or aggravated his hip disability.
The deciding factor: The November 2019 VA examiner did not address aggravation of the Veteran’s bilateral hip disability by service-connected disabilities, and a February 2019 opinion implicated the Veteran's obesity in the development of his hip disability. The Board finds an adequate opinion addressing these claims has not been obtained.
- Claimed conditions
- left hip strain with osteoarthritis, right hip strain with osteoarthritis
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 28, 2020
- Citation
- A20019253
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 A20019253.
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 sleep apnea, left shoulder bicipital tendon tear, hypogonadism, erectile dysfunction, and left carpal tunnel syndrome. The claims for increased ratings for lumbar spondylosis with facet arthropathy and lumbosacral strain, right hip strain with osteoarthritis, other specified trauma and stressor related disorder, left and right ankle lateral collateral ligament sprain, right shoulder rotator cuff tear, left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome, right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome (to include iliotibial band syndrome), and chronic right wrist sprain were denied. The Board also granted an effective date of July 7, 2023 for the award of increased ratings.
- Partly granted
The Board denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for tinea versicolor and remanded the claims for service connection, pseudofolliculitis barbae, left hip strain with osteoarthritis, right hip strain with osteoarthritis, left knee strain with knee joint osteoarthritis, and right knee strain with knee joint osteoarthritis.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of July 13, 2022, for the grant of service connection for a left hip total joint replacement and a left hip scar, but denied earlier effective dates for other conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for further development and consideration of additional evidence.
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