The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for lumbar strain, right knee patellofemoral arthritis, and left knee patellofemoral arthritis due to procedural errors in obtaining information about the qualifications of a VA examiner and inadequate medical opinions.
The deciding factor: Procedural errors occurred in obtaining information about the qualifications of a VA examiner and inadequate medical opinions were provided regarding the etiology of the Veteran's current disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar strain (low back disability), right knee patellofemoral arthritis (right knee disability), left knee patellofemoral arthritis (left knee disability)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 25, 2026
- Citation
- A26027110
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 A26027110.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's low back disability is granted a rating of 40 percent effective August 31, 2018. The right shoulder disability is granted a rating of 40 percent effective August 31, 2018.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his low back and right shoulder disabilities due to his failure to appear for scheduled VA examinations without good cause.
- Partly granted
The Board denied an initial rating more than 20 percent for the Veteran's low back disability and granted a 20 percent rating, but no higher, for left lower extremity radiculopathy (sciatic nerve).
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for right knee strain, left knee strain, low back disability, neck disability, left elbow disability manifesting as pain and numbness, and right elbow disability manifesting as pain and numbness. The claims are based on the Veteran's reported symptoms in service and their persistence since separation.
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