The Veteran's depression is being remanded for a VA examination to determine if it is at least as likely as not caused or aggravated by his service-connected right knee and/or left hip disabilities. The Veteran's right knee and left hip increased rating claims are also being remanded for additional examinations to assess the severity of these conditions, taking into account the ameliorative effects of medication.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that further development is needed to determine if the Veteran's depression may be secondary to his service-connected right knee and/or left hip disabilities, as well as to properly evaluate the current severity of his right knee and left hip conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- depression, right knee sprain with chondromalacia and meniscus tear status-post lateral meniscectomy (painful motion/limitation of flexion), left hip limitation of flexion, left hip strain, thigh impairment
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 20, 2023
- Citation
- 23017167
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 23017167.
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 remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining in-service psychiatric treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any acquired psychiatric disorder.
- Denied
The Veteran's depression was rated at 50 percent prior to July 1, 2016. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating due to occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity. For TDIU, the Veteran had multiple service-connected disabilities but his education and work experience were sufficient for sedentary or light labor employment.
- Granted
The Veteran's depression was rated at 50 percent prior to September 27, 2017. From September 27, 2017, the rating for depression increased to 70 percent.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals were dismissed due to the death of the appellant. The issues related to service connection for various conditions and disability ratings.
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