The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for low back and right knee disabilities due to inadequate medical opinions in previous decisions. The Veteran's conditions are being reviewed by a clinician to determine if they were incurred during his active service.
The deciding factor: Previous opinions did not adequately address the etiology of the Veteran's low back and right knee disabilities, specifically whether they were related to his military service or aggravated by any pre-existing conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Low back degenerative disc disease, Right knee tenosynovitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 12, 2022
- Citation
- 22051744
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 22051744.
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 Veteran is granted special monthly compensation (SMC) based on the need for aid and attendance due to his service-connected low back degenerative disc disease and posttraumatic stress disorder.
- Granted
The Veteran's cervical spine disability, lumbar spine disability, right shoulder tenosynovitis, and left knee/tenosynovitis disabilities are rated at the maximum schedular ratings. The psychiatric disability is granted as secondary to service-connected conditions.
- Denied
The Veteran's failure to report for a VA examination scheduled in October 2022 resulted in the denial of his claim for TDIU prior to March 28, 2017.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that another remand is necessary to obtain an addendum opinion addressing the Veteran's service-connected knee disabilities' potential impact on his obesity and whether it contributed to or aggravated his low back degenerative disease.
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