The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate examination and a need for additional information regarding the Veteran's reports of taking over-the-counter medication after discharge.
The deciding factor: The examiner needs to address the Veteran’s reports of taking over-the-counter medication to cope with pain shortly after discharge from service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral knee injury
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 21, 2020
- Citation
- 20080162
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,569 · Granted: 26% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 20080162.
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.
- Dismissed
The veteran withdrew the appeal for service connection for a bilateral knee injury and low back injury, and these issues are therefore dismissed.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for bilateral knee injury, head injury, photophobia, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and schizophrenia to allow VA to obtain potentially relevant Social Security Administration records.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's right hip disability is service-connected as it was caused by his in-service injuries to his knees and back, which led to joint pain and an altered gait putting strain on his hips.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided that the claims for increased rating for hearing loss and service connection for bilateral knee injury need to be reviewed by the AOJ with consideration of all relevant evidence, including recent medical records.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.