The Veteran seeks earlier effective dates for the grant of service connection for anxiety disorder NOS, left knee strain with osteoarthritis, and left ankle strain with degenerative arthritis. The Board finds that an updated VA examination is necessary to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error.,The Veteran also seeks increased ratings for his service-connected anxiety disorder NOS, left knee strain with osteoarthritis, and left ankle strain with degenerative arthritis. The Board finds that a new VA examination is necessary to determine the current level of severity of these disabilities.
The deciding factor: The effective dates cannot be earlier than December 8, 2011 as this is when the Veteran initially filed his claims for service connection.,VA examinations are needed due to the lack of recent evaluations that could provide a current assessment of the severity of the disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Anxiety disorder, not otherwise specified (NOS), Left knee strain with osteoarthritis, Left ankle strain with degenerative arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 19, 2024
- Citation
- A24047763
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 A24047763.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for radiculopathy of the right and left lower extremities as secondary to a service-connected lumbar strain, but denied higher ratings for lumbar strain, left knee patellofemoral syndrome, and anxiety disorder, NOS.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors, including obtaining private treatment and Social Security Administration records.
- Denied
The Board denied the appellant's claims for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death and entitlement to DIC under 38 USC § 1318, finding that there was no evidence linking the Veteran's death to his military service or any service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Veteran's status-post MRSA infection prior to October 9, 2019 does not meet the criteria for a compensable disability rating.,The Veteran's left knee strain with osteoarthritis has not met the criteria for a disability rating greater than 10 percent before March 21, 2019 and after June 1, 2019 (status-post arthroscopy surgery).,The Veteran's right knee strain with osteoarthritis since June 1, 2019 has not met the criteria for a disability rating greater than 10 percent.
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