The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient rationale in a previous VA examiner's opinion. The Veteran contends his current knee and heel disabilities are related to military service, but the VA examiner found no evidence of such.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not provide sufficient rationale for their negative opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's right knee and heel disorders.
- Claimed conditions
- right knee disorder (degenerative joint disease), right heel degenerative joint disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 1, 2023
- Citation
- 23058899
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 23058899.
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 remands the claims for service connection for right knee and heel degenerative joint diseases to obtain an opinion on whether these conditions are secondary to a previously service-connected left knee disability.
- Granted
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and an effective date prior to July 31, 2003 have been granted. The right knee disorder is rated at 10 percent since March 24, 2008, with a staged rating of 20 percent as of June 27, 2005 for the left femur fracture residuals. The lumbar spine DJD disorder has an effective date of July 2, 2002.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for degenerative joint disease (DJD) in both knees and a right hand disorder, but denied an increased rating for the status post compression fracture of T12 and a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and arthritis of the left fourth finger.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a right knee disorder and increased ratings for his onychomycosis of the right great toe and mechanical low back pain with strain. The right knee disorder was found not to be related to military service, while the other conditions were rated appropriately based on their current severity.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.