The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for various conditions, including major depressive disorder with anxiety, pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis of the right lower extremity, status post arthroscopic debridement chondromalacia patella right knee with residual degenerative joint disease, and left knee patellofemoral syndrome are being remanded for additional development.
The deciding factor: The claims were previously denied in October 2016, August 2017, and April 2020 rating decisions. The Veteran's attorney has requested a copy of the examiner’s curriculum vitae to determine their qualifications.
- Claimed conditions
- Major depressive disorder with anxiety, Pulmonary embolism, Deep vein thrombosis of the right lower extremity, Status post arthroscopic debridement chondromalacia patella right knee with residual degenerative joint disease, Left knee patellofemoral syndrome
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 18, 2021
- Citation
- 21015853
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 21015853.
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 Board has decided to remand the case due to errors in duty to assist, specifically regarding toxic exposure exposures during service and their impact on the Veteran's cause of death.
- Denied
The Veteran's right lower extremity varicose veins, post-phlebitic syndrome, deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism are currently rated as 10 percent disabling. The Board found that the evidence does not support a higher rating due to lack of persistent edema or stasis pigmentation.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted a TDIU for the period from May 25, 2016 to January 18, 2017 due to his service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error regarding VA's obligation to obtain relevant records from the Social Security Administration.
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