The Board remands the claims for additional development, including obtaining a new VA examination to address the inadequacies of previous examinations and obtain any relevant private treatment records.
The deciding factor: The previous examinations were found inadequate as they did not properly account for flare-ups and pain on active, passive, or nonweight-bearing activities, which are reported by the Veteran. The Board is also required to discount beneficial medication effects when rating criteria do not specifically contemplate such use.
- Claimed conditions
- Residuals of injury to the thoracic spine, Osteoarthritis of the left hip, Osteoarthritis of the right hip, Osteoarthritis of the left knee, Osteoarthritis of the right knee, Osteoarthritis of the left ankle, Osteoarthritis of the right ankle
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 18, 2025
- Citation
- A25053624
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 claims for higher initial ratings for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, osteoarthritis of the right and left knees, and left ankle strain are remanded due to inadequate VA compensation examination reports.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, osteoarthritis of the right hip, and right renal atrophy with renal insufficiency as secondary to the Veteran's left knee disability. The Board also granted a 10 percent rating for instability of the left knee.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection of osteoarthritis of the right hip as secondary to a service-connected condition due to an inadequate medical opinion.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and granted service connection for osteoarthritis of the left and right knees, limitation of extension.
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