The Board remands the claims for increased ratings for lumbosacral spine degenerative arthritis with intervertebral disc syndrome and bilateral knee disabilities due to inadequate VA examinations.
The deciding factor: The examination reports were found to be inadequate as they did not accurately address assistive devices used by the Veteran, which may impact the ratings assigned.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbosacral spine degenerative arthritis with intervertebral disc syndrome, left knee patellofemoral syndrome, with limitation of flexion, right knee medial femoral condyle fracture and patellofemoral syndrome, with limitation of flexion and degenerative arthritis, left knee instability, right knee instability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 6, 2024
- Citation
- A24072674
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.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeal for service connection for bilateral knee instability and denied service connection for right and left knee instability, finding no nexus between the Veteran's knee conditions and his service or service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issues of entitlement to increased ratings for a thoracolumbar spine disorder and bilateral knee disorders due to the need for additional VA examinations.
- Partly granted
The Board denied an increased rating for right knee strain and instability but granted a separate 10 percent rating for right knee limitation of extension from November 25, 2024.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including left foot condition, right foot condition, cellulitis, right ear hearing loss, and right lower extremity radiculopathy. The appeal of the proposal to reduce a 40 percent evaluation for lumbosacral strain was dismissed.
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