The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his low back and bilateral knee disabilities due to evidence indicating worsening symptoms. The Veteran will need to undergo new VA examinations to determine the current severity of these conditions.
The deciding factor: The Veteran reported worsening symptomatology, which necessitates additional development including new VA examinations.
- Claimed conditions
- thoracolumbar strain with intervertebral disc syndrome (low back disability), left knee strain (left knee disability), right knee strain (right knee disability)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 6, 2021
- Citation
- 21062187
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 869 · Granted: 29% (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 21062187.
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 Veteran's initial ratings for service-connected nonspecific headaches and tinnitus were denied, while the VA remanded several other claims.,For the left knee disability and right knee disability, the VA found that more than a certain percentage rating was warranted but remanded to clarify examination findings.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's service connection claims for right ankle, left ankle, and left knee disabilities are remanded due to a duty to assist error. The VA examiner must provide an opinion regarding the onset of these conditions during active service or their relation to incidents in service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for left knee arthritis, right knee strain (right knee disability), and hypertension as the evidence did not support an in-service injury or event related to these conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's request for an earlier effective date than June 30, 2022, for service connection for right knee disability, left knee disability, and low back disability.
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