The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various knee, ankle, foot, and wrist disorders due to inadequate opinions in the February 2021 VA examination reports. The examiner is requested to provide addendum opinions addressing the nature and etiology of these disorders, including their relationship to service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the prior VA examiners did not address the May 2017 private opinion or the in-service complaints regarding varicose veins, which are relevant to the Veteran's claims for bilateral leg venous insufficiency. The examiner is instructed to consider these factors and provide a rationale for their opinions.
- Claimed conditions
- right knee disorder, left knee disorder, right ankle disorder, left ankle disorder, right foot disorder, left foot disorder, right wrist disorder, left wrist disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 7, 2023
- Citation
- 23021448
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 23021448.
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 due to the need for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and providing proper notice regarding secondary service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for right and left wrist disorders due to a duty to assist error in failing to provide notice of a hearing.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claims for lumbosacral strain, asthma, melasma and hydradenitis, hypertension, an acquired psychiatric disorder (claimed as depression, anxiety, and stress), left shoulder disorder, right shoulder disorder, left knee disorder, a left foot disorder, and IBS have been granted. The remaining issues are remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to errors in obtaining relevant medical records and authorization for private treatment providers. The issues include heart disorder, OSA, sinusitis, lumbar spine disorder, and right knee disorder all related to Agent Orange exposure.
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