The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for eye disability, left knee disability, and left shoulder disability due to inadequate medical opinions and potential missing STRs. The AOJ is instructed to obtain any outstanding STRs and provide a new examination with an addendum opinion.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations and medical opinions obtained prior to the decision on appeal are inadequate for consideration of the Veteran's claims, as they did not address the onset and continuity of symptoms or consider the Veteran's lay statements. The AOJ is also instructed to attempt to obtain any outstanding STRs.
- Claimed conditions
- Eye disability, Left knee disability, Left shoulder disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 18, 2024
- Citation
- A24084459
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 A24084459.
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 Veteran's TDIU claim for bilateral knee disabilities and his right and left knee scars have been granted. He is now rated at a combined 60% disability rating from June 1, 2018 based on bilateral factors for his bilateral knee disabilities.
- Granted
The Veteran's entitlement to higher level of SMC at the intermediate rate is granted, effective from January 8, 2021. He was previously in need of aid and attendance due to his left knee disability since February 1, 2017, and now has additional disabilities rated at 50 percent or more.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claims for service connection have been dismissed due to their death.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for back, right knee, and left knee disabilities due to a lack of evidence showing current diagnoses or functional impairment.
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