The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for non-scarring residuals resulting from an umbilical hernia repair, patellofemoral syndrome of the right knee, patellofemoral syndrome of the left knee, chondromalacia of the patella of the right knee, and instability of the left knee. The Veteran's claims for a rating in excess of 10 percent for patellofemoral syndrome of the right knee, patellofemoral syndrome of the left knee, and instability of the right knee are also remanded.
The deciding factor: The Board found that additional development is needed to determine the current severity of the Veteran's bilateral knee condition and lumbar spine strain as well as the severity of his radiculopathy of the lower extremities.
- Claimed conditions
- non-scarring residuals resulting from an umbilical hernia repair, patellofemoral syndrome of the right knee, patellofemoral syndrome of the left knee, chondromalacia of the patella of the right knee, chondromalacia of the patella of the left knee, instability of the left knee, instability of the right knee, lumbar spine strain, radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, radiculopathy of the right lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 10, 2023
- Citation
- 23001628
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,886 · Granted: 24% (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 23001628.
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 denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected disabilities, finding that his physical limitations could be accommodated by sedentary employment.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied service connection for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity and remanded the claim for adjustment disorder. The Veteran's radiculopathy is not shown to be related to his military service, while his adjustment disorder may be related to civilian life.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for specially adapted housing or a special home adaptation grant due to lack of functional impairment. The Board has determined that a VA examination is needed to determine if any service-connected disability results in loss of use of both lower extremities, one lower extremity and one upper extremity, or residuals affecting balance and propulsion.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevented him from engaging in gainful employment as of January 1, 2019. The Board granted a TDIU effective from that date.
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