The Board remands the claims for service connection for left and right knee strain with osteoarthritis as a new VA examination is necessary to determine if the Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities are related to his time in service or aggravated by his service-connected left ankle disability.
The deciding factor: The January 2024 VA examiner did not provide an opinion on direct service connection and aggravation, which resulted in pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors.
- Claimed conditions
- left knee strain with osteoarthritis, right knee strain with osteoarthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 31, 2025
- Citation
- A25029469
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 bilateral hearing loss and an effective date of October 24, 2022, for obstructive sleep apnea. Other claims were denied or remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for increased ratings for right knee disabilities due to insufficient medical evidence regarding their severity in an unmedicated state.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and remanded several service connection claims.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for right knee strain with osteoarthritis, finding a link to the Veteran's active duty service.
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