The Board remands the case to obtain a VA medical opinion regarding the cause of the Veteran's death, specifically addressing the role of his service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: An additional medical opinion is needed as the April 2022 VA examiner did not address evidence submitted in January 2022 that includes degenerative joint disease of the knees as significant conditions contributing to the Veteran's death.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative joint disease of the knees
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 15, 2024
- Citation
- A24065452
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for degenerative joint disease of the hips, hands, and knees as well as panic disorder with agoraphobia due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's military service.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for secondary service connection for low back, knee, and hypertension disorders.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for degenerative joint disease of the knees and denied higher initial ratings for degenerative disc disease, L4-L5 and Raynaud's phenomenon.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.