The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding whether his right knee and leg, kidney, and heart disabilities were caused by VA treatment in November 2008 at the Houston VAMC. The opinions are needed to determine if these disabilities were foreseeable consequences of the treatment.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran incurred additional disabilities as a result of the November 2008 VA treatment, but further medical opinion is required to address whether these disabilities were foreseeable and caused by VA's actions or unforeseen events.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Knee and Leg Disability, Renal Disability, Heart Disability
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 11, 2020
- Citation
- 20040062
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 20040062.
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 heart disability has been rated at 100% from September 12, 2022 to August 18, 2023. He is also eligible for special monthly compensation and Dependents' Educational Assistance during this period.
- Denied
The Veteran's heart disability is currently rated at 60 percent from February 24, 2023.,The effective date for the grant of TDIU was set to February 24, 2023.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of peripheral neuropathy of the left upper extremity is denied as there was no prior formal or informal claim submitted before July 2, 2016.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to a duty to assist error that occurred prior to the rating decision on appeal. The Board requests retrospective findings from an appropriate clinician to determine the severity of the Veteran's service-connected heart disability.
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