The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various lower extremity disabilities, including low back, right leg, left hip, right knee, and left knee disabilities. The issues are related to secondary service connection based on a pre-existing condition that was aggravated by his service-connected left foot and ankle disability.
The deciding factor: The Board found the previous VA medical opinions inadequate due to reliance on lack of evidence without considering lay statements or providing sufficient medical reasons and bases for their conclusions.
- Claimed conditions
- Low back, Right leg, Left hip, Right knee, Left knee
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 16, 2022
- Citation
- 22028660
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 22028660.
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 found that the reduction of the Veteran's VA compensation benefits to a 5% rate effective November 1, 2016 was proper due to his incarceration for more than 60 days following conviction of a felony offense. The appeal is denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding whether his surgeries and post-surgical care resulted in additional disabilities, as well as an evaluation of fault on VA's part.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for a right knee disability and restoration of previous ratings for left knee disabilities due to insufficient evidence.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of a right hip disability, including as secondary to left hip, has been dismissed due to his withdrawal.
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