The Board remands the claims for a disability rating in excess of 30 percent for left and right post total knee arthroplasty, a disability rating in excess of 20 percent for lumbosacral strain, service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, and service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations do not address the ameliorative effects of medication on the severity of the Veteran's disabilities, and there is a need to consider obesity as an intermediate step in establishing service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and an acquired psychiatric disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- Left post total knee arthroplasty (TKA), Right post TKA, Lumbosacral strain, Obstructive sleep apnea, Acquired psychiatric disorder
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 12, 2025
- Citation
- A25042311
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 Veteran's claims for additional VA examinations to properly evaluate the current severity of her disabilities.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding a causal relationship between the condition and an in-service incident of military sexual trauma (MST).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the issue of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of May 29, 2019 for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder but denied earlier effective dates and increased ratings for other conditions.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.