The Board has remanded the claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 due to a lack of adequate supporting rationale in the February 2020 VA examiner's opinion and the need for an independent medical expert outside of VA.
The deciding factor: The decision is based on the need for an independent medical expert to provide an informed opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran’s right hip and leg disabilities, given the complexity of the issue.
- Claimed conditions
- Right hip disability, Leg length discrepancy, Right leg disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 13, 2020
- Citation
- 20066004
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,772 · Granted: 37% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 20066004.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
Your appeal of the March 28, 2025 rating decision that deferred adjudication of your right hip disability claim has been dismissed.
- Granted
The Veteran's right foot condition, including pain and functional limitation, is related to service. The Veteran's right leg disability did not have an onset in service or manifest within a year of service, nor is it otherwise related to service or a service-connected disability. The Veteran's left leg disability also did not have an onset in service or manifest within a year of service, nor is it otherwise related to service or a service-connected disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for his lumbar spine and right hip disabilities due to a duty to assist error. The effective date for DEA benefits is granted as May 1, 2014.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right hip disability due to insufficient evidence regarding its etiology and pathophysiology, as well as the need for an appropriate toxic exposure risk activity (TERA) examination.
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