The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining addendum opinions from the VA examiner who conducted the September 2019 examinations regarding the severity of the Veteran's service-connected bilateral knee and hip disabilities.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not record the results of range of motion testing for pain on passive motion, weight-bearing, or nonweight-bearing for the Veteran’s bilateral knee and hip disabilities in previous examinations. The Board finds these examinations do not substantially comply with the November 2018 remand directives.
- Claimed conditions
- chondromalacia patella, right hip strain, left hip strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 26, 2020
- Citation
- 20035993
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 20035993.
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 Veteran's service connection claims for lumbosacral strain, bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, and left hip strain as secondary to lumbosacral strain have been granted. The claim for left hip strain is remanded due to insufficient evidence on whether it was caused or aggravated by the service-connected lumbosacral strain.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including coronary artery disease, PTSD, and multiple orthopedic conditions, prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded several claims for further action, including effective date determinations and service connection determinations. The Veteran's service records from Portsmouth Naval Hospital are requested to be obtained.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of his right hip disability is denied as the earliest date of entitlement is April 21, 2025.
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