The Board remands the claim for service connection for chondromalacia of the right knee as secondary to residuals of fracture of the right lateral malleolus/foot due to an inadequate VA examination.
The deciding factor: The August 2021 VA opinion is found to be inadequate because it does not sufficiently address the Veteran's claimed mechanism of injury and fails to consider the aggravation component of the secondary service connection theory of entitlement.
- Claimed conditions
- chondromalacia of the right knee
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 18, 2025
- Citation
- A25053459
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.
- Dismissed
The Board's September 4, 2025 decision was vacated due to a failure to address clear and unmistakable error arguments, depriving the Veteran of due process.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations for chondromalacia of the left knee, GERD, and chondromalacia of the right knee due to failure to report for VA examinations without good cause.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability, finding that the evidence did not support higher ratings or TDIU.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right lower extremity sciatica associated with the Veteran's service-connected lumbosacral spine strain, but remanded claims for service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and sleep apnea.
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