The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for arthritis of the left knee, right knee, and right ankle due to inadequate opinions from the June 2020 VA examiner. The examiner did not address websites cited by the Veteran's representative or the Veteran’s contentions regarding joint pain persisting since service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the June 2020 VA examiner's opinions were inadequate and failed to adequately address the Veteran's contentions and lay statements, as well as the specific directives in the April 2020 remand.
- Claimed conditions
- Arthritis of the left knee, Arthritis of the right knee, Arthritis of the right ankle
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 4, 2020
- Citation
- 20077210
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 20077210.
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 has granted service connection for arthritis of the lumbar spine, right ankle, left ankle, and left foot on a presumptive basis due to continuous symptoms since service separation.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for further development and clarification regarding the severity of the Veteran's left knee and right knee disabilities, specifically to determine if the Veteran has experienced 'the functional equivalent of range of motion loss contemplated by the next higher rating' at any point during the appeal period.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, and bilateral tinnitus. The claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for bilateral plantar fasciitis was denied. Other claims were either granted or remanded.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a left knee disability and a right knee disability, finding that the Veteran's arthritis of both knees is not related to an injury or disease incurred in active service and has not been caused or aggravated by a service-connected disability.
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