The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral knee disabilities due to new and material evidence. However, additional development is needed as the current VA examination report does not provide a clear opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral knee disability.
The deciding factor: The March 2014 VA examination did not address the Veteran's contentions or his in-service report of painful knees and failed to provide a clear opinion regarding the nature, extent, and etiology of his bilateral knee disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Pseudofolliculitis Barbae, Bilateral Knee Disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 7, 2023
- Citation
- 23013706
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 23013706.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and bilateral knee disability must be remanded due to duty-to-assist errors. The Veteran's reported stressors need to be verified, and a VA examination is required to address the etiology of his bilateral knee condition.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for TDIU was denied because the evidence did not show that he was unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities.
- Granted
The Board has granted an initial 10 percent disability rating for service-connected pseudofolliculitis barbae, finding that the condition affects less than 40 percent of the face and neck.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased rating of right little finger disability and service connection for pseudofolliculitis barbae were denied. The claim for bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to missing private treatment records.
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