The Board remands the claims for service connection for lumbar spine, left knee, and right knee conditions as secondary to a service-connected adjustment disorder with depressed mood due to an inadequate VA examination.
The deciding factor: The September 2021 VA examinations were found inadequate because they did not adequately address the Veteran's assertions regarding his symptoms and functional impairment, and no opinion was provided on whether obesity caused or aggravated by the service-connected disability served as a substantial factor in causing the knee and lumbar spine conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine condition, left knee condition, right knee condition
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 5, 2024
- Citation
- A24071940
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 tinnitus, resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor. The claims for a cervical spine condition and lumbar spine condition were remanded for further development.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for service connection were dismissed due to untimely filing of the Board Appeal requests.
- Partly granted
The appeal for service connection for allergic rhinitis and lumbosacral or cervical strain was dismissed due to untimeliness, while the other issues were remanded for further evidence.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right and left knee conditions, denied a rating in excess of 40 percent for right lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy, and denied special monthly compensation based on loss of use of a lower extremity.
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