The Board has decided that the VA did not obtain all of the Veteran's service treatment records from Walter Reed and Ft. Meade, which were needed to make a decision on his claim for left knee replacement service connection. The case is being sent back to the agency of original jurisdiction (AOJ) to try again.
The deciding factor: The AOJ failed to conduct reasonable efforts to obtain the Veteran's missing service treatment records from Walter Reed and Ft. Meade, as required by law.
- Claimed conditions
- left knee replacement
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- November 6, 2020
- Citation
- 20071892
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,676 · Granted: 24% (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 20071892.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran was eligible for beneficiary travel benefits to attend a VA medical appointment on March 16, 2021 due to his service-connected conditions. The Board found that the nearest available clinic provided the required care and that the Veteran's statements were credible and consistent with the evidence.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeal because it was not timely filed, and no good cause for delay was provided.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that additional development is needed and the case is being remanded for issuance of a new supplemental statement of the case (SSOC). Relevant private and VA treatment records have been added to the claim file, necessitating this action.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to non-compliance with previous remand directives and another examination is needed.
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