The Board remands the claim for service connection for right knee arthritis, to include as secondary to lumbar spondylosis, degenerative disc disease and stenosis due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
The deciding factor: The VA opinions provided were found inadequate due to failure to address lay evidence of onset and continued symptoms since service, lack of an opinion regarding aggravation by the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability, and failure to consider submitted medical articles.
- Claimed conditions
- right knee arthritis
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 21, 2025
- Citation
- A25045985
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, finding that the evidence did not support higher ratings or service connection for the claimed conditions.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for right knee arthritis, finding that the Veteran's condition is related to his active duty service.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for left knee arthritis, right knee arthritis, and tinnitus. The increased evaluation claim for pes planus was denied, as was the increase in rating for the right wrist fracture. The reduction of the right wrist rating from 10 percent to 0 percent was found improper, restoring the 10 percent rating.
- Partly granted
The Board denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for right knee arthritis and a separate 30 percent or higher rating for the period from January 1, 2020, to July 23, 2025, but granted a 10 percent rating for right knee slight recurrent subluxation and lateral instability.
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