The Board remands the claims for increased ratings of the Veteran's service-connected conditions due to inadequate VA examinations and concerns about the Veteran's credibility regarding the reported severity of his disabilities.
The deciding factor: The November 2020 VA examination and July 2021 private consultative report are found to be inadequate, and there is concern about the Veteran's credibility regarding the severity of his service-connected conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- osteoarthritis of the left knee, osteoarthritis of the right knee with meniscal tear, unspecified anxiety disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 6, 2025
- Citation
- A25041097
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for unspecified anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder to obtain an adequate medical opinion regarding their etiology.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's award of total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU) is granted effective from April 15, 2017, solely based on his unspecified anxiety disorder. The claim for an earlier effective date for service connection for right lower extremity radiculopathy was denied.
- Partly granted
The Board granted restoration of a 40% rating for osteoarthritis of the left knee, effective July 1, 2009, and denied an increased rating in excess of 40% for the same condition as well as entitlement to TDIU.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his unspecified anxiety disorder, finding that the evidence did not support a rating in excess of 50 percent prior to October 4, 2023 and 70 percent from that date.
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