The Board has decided to remand the claim of service connection for right knee strain as secondary to service-connected lumbosacral strain due to inadequate medical opinions and a duty to assist error.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner's opinions were found to be inadequate, particularly regarding the causation aspect of secondary service connection. The Board also noted that the presumption of soundness applied to the Veteran's right knee condition as it was not clinically noted at his entry into service.
- Claimed conditions
- Right knee strain
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 14, 2026
- Citation
- A26003362
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 A26003362.
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 claim for service connection of a right knee disability, finding that there was no nexus between his current condition and active duty service.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for cervical spine strain, right wrist sprain, right knee strain, left knee strain, and right ankle strain. The disabilities are all deemed to have begun during the Veteran's active duty.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for service connection of a right knee condition due to inadequate VA opinions and incomplete record development regarding his National Guard service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for bilateral knee strains with shin splints due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error. A new VA examination is required to assess the severity of the Veteran's knee disabilities, including during flare-ups.
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