The Veteran's claims for service connection for eye conditions and bilateral knee osteoarthritis are being remanded due to the need for VA examinations and medical opinions regarding the nature and etiology of these conditions, as well as a TERA examination related to Agent Orange exposure.
The deciding factor: The claims require additional development including VA examinations and medical opinions to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's eye and bilateral knee osteoarthritis disabilities, given the potential for service connection based on Agent Orange exposure. A Toxic Exposure Risk Activity (TERA) examination is also needed due to the Veteran's confirmed Vietnam-era service.
- Claimed conditions
- dry eye syndrome, right knee osteoarthritis, left knee osteoarthritis
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 15, 2024
- Citation
- A24025605
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 A24025605.
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 expanded the scope of the claim for major depression to encompass any mental health disability raised by the record and has remanded six issues for additional development.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeal of entitlement to service connection for dry eye syndrome claimed as visual impairment, including blurry vision, blindness, double vision due to procedural error. The Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea was denied because there is no evidence of a current diagnosis of sleep apnea.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for OSA is denied as his sleep apnea has not been manifested by persistent daytime hypersomnolence or required use of a breathing assistance device such as a CPAP machine.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for dry eye syndrome and an increased rating for left knee disability are remanded due to procedural errors in the adjudication process.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded several claims for further action, including effective date determinations and service connection determinations. The Veteran's service records from Portsmouth Naval Hospital are requested to be obtained.
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