The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine was denied due to his failure to report for a VA examination.,The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for left knee, right knee, left ankle, and right ankle disabilities. The TDIU claim is also remanded.
The deciding factor: The Veteran failed to appear at a scheduled VA examination which was necessary to determine his disability ratings and service connection claims.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, Left knee arthritis, Right knee arthritis, Left ankle degenerative arthritis, Right ankle arthritis
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 23, 2022
- Citation
- 22017042
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 22017042.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for degenerative arthritis of the spine, right knee degenerative arthritis, left knee degenerative arthritis, right ankle degenerative arthritis, and left ankle degenerative arthritis.
- Granted
The Veteran's right ankle disability, which includes arthritis and tendonitis, is rated at the maximum schedular rating of 40 percent for the entire appeal period.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine and lumbar spine was granted with effective dates of May 13, 2019.
- Granted
The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine was diagnosed during service and has continued since then. The Board granted service connection for this condition based on continuity of symptomatology.
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