The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for recurrent hip and knee disabilities, as well as a recurrent lumbar spine disability and obstructive sleep apnea due to potential errors in the initial decision.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's lay statements do not constitute competent evidence to establish a diagnosis of a recurrent hip disability or a recurrent knee disability. The Board found that service connection for these disabilities is not warranted as they were not shown during active service or at any time thereafter.
- Claimed conditions
- recurrent right hip disability, recurrent left hip disability, recurrent right knee disability, recurrent left knee disability, recurrent lumbar spine disability, recurrent sleep disability (obstructive sleep apnea)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 3, 2023
- Citation
- A23030804
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 A23030804.
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 granted service connection for prostate cancer but has remanded the issue of service connection for a recurrent lumbar spine disability due to lack of verification of service records.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for a VA examination to determine if any identified recurrent femoral disabilities had their onset during active service or are related to any incident of service, including whether pre-existing slipped femoral epiphysis repair residuals were aggravated by active service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for a recurrent right knee disability, including tendinitis, patellofemoral crepitus syndrome, and patellar subluxation is being remanded due to the need for additional verification of his Marine Corps Reserve service and associated medical records.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to a lack of a VA examination, and the need to determine if any identified recurrent lumbar spine disability had its onset during active service or is related to any incident of service. The examiner must also assess whether it is at least as likely as not that any identified recurrent lumbar spine disability is due to or the result of the cervical spine degenerative arthritis and spondylosis and other service-connected disabilities.
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