The Board remands the claims for service connection for left knee, right knee, and right shoulder conditions due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
The deciding factor: The examiner's opinions were found to be inadequate as they did not fully address the Veteran's lay statements regarding her in-service onset of symptoms and the AOJ failed to obtain relevant private medical records.
- Claimed conditions
- left knee condition with pain, right knee condition with pain, right shoulder condition with pain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 17, 2024
- Citation
- A24066931
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome with rectal bleeding (IBS), a left hip condition with pain, a right hip condition with pain, right lower extremity radiculopathy, left lower extremity radiculopathy, a left shoulder condition with pain, and a right shoulder condition with pain.
- Partly granted
The veteran's claim for service connection for a left knee condition with pain was granted. The claim for a left shoulder condition with pain was remanded for further examination.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a medical examination to determine if the Veteran's current neck strain is related to his in-service activities.
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