The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for higher ratings for thoracic spine degenerative arthritis, left knee tendinitis, and right knee Osgood Schlatter's disease due to deficiencies in VA examinations and outstanding records.
The deciding factor: VA examinations were not responsive to the Board’s directives and there are outstanding treatment records from Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune that need to be obtained.
- Claimed conditions
- thoracic spine degenerative arthritis, right knee Osgood Schlatter's disease, left knee tendinitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 13, 2020
- Citation
- 20066241
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 granted earlier effective dates of November 21, 2019, for the grants of service connection for spinal stenosis associated with intervertebral disc syndrome, left and right lower extremity radiculopathy, and left knee tendinitis. The claim for an earlier effective date for special monthly compensation based on housebound criteria was denied.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for several conditions, including bronchial asthma, respiratory insufficiency, chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, and functional abdominal pain syndrome. However, it granted service connection for right knee tendinitis, left knee tendinitis, and lumbosacral strain.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for right ankle impingement, left knee tendinitis, and low back condition to obtain an adequate medical opinion that addresses whether these conditions are related to the Veteran's service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for left leg varicose veins, right leg varicose veins, left knee tendinitis, right knee tendinitis, and bilateral hearing loss.
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