The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain an adequate medical opinion regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's diagnosed right knee disorder, as secondary to service-connected pes planus disability.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner failed to provide a direct opinion determining if his right knee disability began in service or was otherwise the result of military service. The examiner also did not address the private March 2018 opinion and the Veteran's lay statements regarding onset of symptomatology.
- Claimed conditions
- right knee disorder, MCL sprain, chondromalacia
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 21, 2024
- Citation
- 24008499
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 24008499.
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 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.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's request to readjudicate his claims for service connection for a lumbar spine disorder and obstructive sleep apnea, but denied his claim for right knee disorder. The Board also remanded the cases of left leg disorder and lumbar spine disorder.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, right lower extremity radiculopathy, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and a right knee disorder. The evidence did not meet the criteria for direct service connection as there was no in-service diagnosis or continuity of symptomatology.
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