The Board remands the claims for a rating in excess of 30 percent for right shoulder rotator cuff tendinosis and arthralgia, in excess of 10 percent for left knee chondromalacia patella with degenerative arthritis, in excess of 10 percent for right knee chondromalacia patella with degenerative arthritis, and in excess of 20 percent for chronic right ankle sprain to obtain additional medical opinions.
The deciding factor: The remand is necessary to address the functional impairment associated with the Veteran's disabilities without considering the beneficial effects of medication due to conflicting findings in examination reports.
- Claimed conditions
- right shoulder rotator cuff tendinosis and arthralgia, left knee chondromalacia patella with degenerative arthritis, right knee chondromalacia patella with degenerative arthritis, chronic right ankle sprain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 2, 2025
- Citation
- A25085166
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,676 · Granted: 24% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation A25085166.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 40 percent rating for right and left knee chondromalacia patella with degenerative arthritis for the period on appeal prior to October 7, 2024, but denied ratings in excess of 40 percent for these conditions. The Board also granted a 20 percent rating for instability in both knees.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a right hip strain, migraine and tension headaches, and chronic right ankle sprain as they require additional evidence through supplemental opinions.
- Denied
The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's right elbow, right ankle, and depressive disorder and chronic pain syndrome.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection due to his failure to report for scheduled VA examinations without good cause.
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