The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for left and right knee disorders, as well as gastrointestinal disorder (GERD), due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the relationship between these conditions and the Veteran's military service or service-connected disabilities. The remand also includes a request for an opinion on whether obesity caused by service-connected disabilities is a substantial factor in causing or aggravating the Veteran's bilateral knee disorders.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there are insufficient medical opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's conditions and her military service or service-connected disabilities, particularly regarding the role of obesity as a result of service-connected disabilities in causing or aggravating her bilateral knee disorders.
- Claimed conditions
- left knee disorder, right knee disorder, gastrointestinal disorder (GERD)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 24, 2024
- Citation
- 24003686
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,429 · Granted: 29% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 24003686.
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.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty-to-assist error, and will need an opinion regarding whether the Veteran's right knee disorder is related to his parachute jumps during service.
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