The Board remands the claims for service connection for left and right knee osteoarthritis to obtain an adequate medical opinion addressing secondary service connection.
The deciding factor: Remand is necessary due to inadequate medical opinions that did not address whether the Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities were caused by or aggravated by his service-connected bilateral pes planus and/or right ankle injury residuals, as well as the incorrect application of the causation standard in secondary service connection claims.
- Claimed conditions
- left knee osteoarthritis, right knee osteoarthritis
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 1, 2025
- Citation
- A25056723
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 service connection, higher ratings, and earlier effective dates, as well as dismissed his claim for a TDIU.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for hypertension and remanded the claims for bilateral tinnitus, right knee osteoarthritis, and left knee osteoarthritis due to inadequate medical evidence.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral knee, bilateral shoulder, low back and bilateral hip disabilities based on the evidence showing that these conditions are related to the Veteran's active military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The appeal was remanded for the AOJ to provide the Veteran with notice concerning his right to a hearing under 38 C.F.R. § 3.103(b)(1) and (d)(1).
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