The Board has remanded the claims for further development due to incomplete records and inadequate medical opinions. The Veteran's right knee disability, including MRSA infection, is being reviewed for service connection and compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151.
The deciding factor: Incomplete VA treatment records and inadequate medical opinion regarding the cause of the Veteran's MRSA infection resulting in death are preventing a proper determination on the claims.
- Claimed conditions
- right knee osteomyelitis, MRSA infection
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 15, 2021
- Citation
- 21014762
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 21014762.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 is denied because the VA did not cause any additional disability, and there was no fault on their part in providing care.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for six surgical scars and insomnia, as secondary to the service-connected intervertebral disc syndrome with lumbosacral strain status post laminectomy. It also granted a 50% disability rating for the intervertebral disc syndrome with lumbosacral strain status post laminectomy, effective July 31, 2017, and a TDIU due solely to this condition.
- Granted
The Veteran's right knee disability is currently rated at 10 percent for osteomyelitis and a separate 10 percent rating for instability. The appeal regarding the higher rating for osteomyelitis has been denied, while the appeal for the separate rating for instability has been granted.
- Denied
The Veteran's death was not caused by VA's carelessness, negligence, or similar instance of fault in providing medical treatment. The Board found that the MRSA infection did not result from VA's care.
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.