The Board remands the Veteran's claims for a rating greater than 10 percent for left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome and entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors.
The deciding factor: The March 2023 medical opinion was inadequate, and the July 2023 examiner could not perform testing due to significant pain from the Veteran's stiff-person syndrome. The RO committed a pre-decisional duty to assist error in not requiring an adequate medical opinion prior to rendering its decision.
- Claimed conditions
- left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 6, 2025
- Citation
- A25020916
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 835 · Granted: 22% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 A25020916.
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 Veteran's appeals for increased disability ratings for his left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome and left ankle condition have been dismissed due to the withdrawal of the appeal by the Veteran's representative.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have resulted in loss of use of both feet, which qualifies her for an allowance for an automobile and adaptive equipment.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome, finding that the condition began during service and is not due to any in-service aggravation.
- Granted
The Veteran's low back disability, diagnosed as lumbosacral strain, osseous & subluxation stenosis of lumbar foramina, is granted with a rating of 40 percent effective February 9, 2024. The other service connection claims are also granted.
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