The Board remands the claims for service connection for bilateral knee degenerative arthritis, sciatic nerve damage associated with lumbar spine disorder, lumbar spine degenerative disc disease (DDD) with radiculopathy, and bilateral lower extremity (BLE) neuropathy to obtain an adequate medical opinion.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner failed to provide a sufficient rationale for the opinions regarding aggravation of the Veteran's knee and back disorders by his service-connected plantar fasciitis. Therefore, remand is necessary for an addendum opinion addressing this issue.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral knee degenerative arthritis, sciatic nerve damage associated with lumbar spine disorder, lumbar spine degenerative disc disease (DDD) with radiculopathy, bilateral lower extremity (BLE) neuropathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 9, 2023
- Citation
- 23001223
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for hypertension and tinnitus, but denied service connection for a left wrist condition, chronic fatigue syndrome, dry mouth, and a skin condition. Several claims were remanded for further development.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for cervical strain, thoracolumbar spine degenerative arthritis and scoliosis, and bilateral knee degenerative arthritis based on the Veteran's credible lay statements and continued symptoms since service.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's death.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for intervertebral disc syndrome with degenerative arthritis of the spine, finding that it was caused by the Veteran's service-connected bilateral pes planus, right tendonitis, and bilateral knee degenerative arthritis.
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