The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain a new VA medical opinion regarding the Veteran's bilateral shin splints and any knee condition found.,Specifically, the examiner must address whether the Veteran has a current diagnosis of a knee/shin splints condition and whether it is at least as likely as not (at least an approximate balance of positive and negative evidence) that the Veteran's bilateral shin splints or any knee condition found are caused by, or aggravated, by his service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: The Board finds the November 2021 VA medical opinion inadequate as it discusses an undiagnosed knee condition in connection with the medical opinion for shin splints and fails to consider all service connected disabilities when providing a medical opinion.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Shin Splints, Left Shin Splints
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 6, 2023
- Citation
- 23026872
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 23026872.
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 Veteran's claims for higher ratings and earlier effective dates for his right knee disabilities were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating or an earlier effective date.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection of TBI, left shin splints, and sleep apnea as his filings did not comply with numerous essential claims processing rules.
- Dismissed
The Veteran requested to withdraw his appeal for the listed conditions, and the Board has dismissed the appeal as a result.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for further development, including additional VA examinations and medical opinions to address theories of entitlement that were not acknowledged by the AOJ.
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