The Board remands the claims for increased ratings for left knee and lumbar spine disabilities to obtain an adequate medical opinion regarding the severity of the Veteran's conditions without consideration of any ameliorative effects of medication.
The deciding factor: The March 2023 VA examinations were found inadequate due to a lack of information on the effect of medications on symptomatology, which is required when the applicable diagnostic codes do not explicitly contemplate such effects.
- Claimed conditions
- Left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome, Left knee instability, Intervertebral disc syndrome with lumbosacral strain and degenerative arthritis (lumbar spine disability)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 17, 2025
- Citation
- A25035684
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 Board granted earlier effective dates of November 5, 2021, for the grants of service connection and eligibility for DEA benefits.
- Partly granted
The Board denied ratings in excess of 10 percent for left and right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome but granted a separate 10 percent rating for left knee instability. The claim for service connection for a back disorder was remanded.
- Denied
The Board denied higher disability ratings for the veteran's low back and lower extremity radiculopathies, pseudofolliculitis barbae, pes planus and plantar fasciitis, and left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issues of entitlement to increased ratings for left and right knee instability and limitation of flexion due to an inadequate VA examination.
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