The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for left and right ankle disabilities, as well as a left knee disability, all secondary to the Veteran's service-connected right knee disability. The remand requires new VA opinions regarding the nature and etiology of these disabilities.
The deciding factor: The previous VA opinions were inadequate due to their reliance on the absence of 'documented residuals' without considering the Veteran's lay statements about ongoing symptoms.
- Claimed conditions
- Left ankle degenerative arthritis, Right ankle degenerative arthritis, Left ankle tendonitis, Right ankle tendonitis, Left knee osteoarthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 11, 2023
- Citation
- 23001964
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 23001964.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for right ankle tendonitis and pineal brain cyst due to insufficient consideration of her statements regarding onset and continuity of symptoms, as well as the adequacy of the August 2020 VA examination.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for osteoarthritis of the right knee and left knee, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to his military service. The issue of entitlement to service connection for obstructive sleep apnea is remanded due to potential toxic exposure in service.
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