The Veteran's appeal for service connection for DJD of the left thigh, thoracolumbar spine, knee, and shoulder is being remanded due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the relationship between these conditions and his service-connected disabilities.,Service connection for psoriatic arthritis is also being remanded as there are insufficient medical opinions addressing its onset or relation to service.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that the current medical evidence does not support a finding of DJD in any of the Veteran's claimed joints, and therefore cannot grant service connection for these conditions.,Medical opinions regarding secondary service connection are inadequate as they do not address the Veteran’s contention that his service-connected disabilities have caused or aggravated his current DJD.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD) of the left thigh, Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD) of the thoracolumbar spine, Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD) of the left knee, Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD) of the left shoulder, Psoriatic arthritis
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 27, 2020
- Citation
- 20075836
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 20075836.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his DJD of the thoracolumbar spine is being remanded due to a need for additional medical opinion regarding the functional impairment associated with his condition, without considering the beneficial effects of medication.
- Denied
The Board denied an increased disability rating in excess of 10 percent for left knee DJD from October 1, 2008 to August 30, 2010 due to the lack of evidence showing limitation of flexion or extension that would warrant a higher rating.
- Granted
The Board granted an initial 30 percent rating for the Veteran's service-connected DJD of the left knee and left knee lateral instability, from December 15, 2009, to September 5, 2014.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter to obtain a new VA medical opinion regarding the severity of the left knee DJD without the ameliorative effects of medication during the limited appeal period.
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