The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's bilateral hip degenerative arthritis and her service, as well as its secondary or aggravated nature with her service-connected knee and back conditions.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not adequately address whether the Veteran’s bilateral hip disorder is related to the in-service motor vehicle accident or if it was caused by or aggravated by her service-connected knee and back disorders.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hip degenerative arthritis, trochanteric bursitis
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 13, 2021
- Citation
- 21021639
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 21021639.
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 Board denied the Veteran's request for an earlier effective date for service connection due to lack of evidence showing entitlement arose prior to April 30, 2024.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hip disability is etiologically related to service and grants her claim for service connection.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hip and knee disabilities, resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor based on continuous symptoms since service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) and basic eligibility to Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA). The TDIU claim was granted effective February 1, 2020, but the Board found it not factually ascertainable that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities increased in severity so as to render him unemployable during the one-year period prior to his claim. For DEA eligibility, the effective date of February 1, 2020, was based on the TDIU award and is considered the earliest date at which the Veteran could establish eligibility for Chapter 35 benefits.
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.