The Board has determined that VA examinations are needed to determine the nature and etiology of any left ankle and left knee conditions, as these were not conducted prior to denying the claims.
The deciding factor: VA failed to obtain a medical examination before deciding on the service connection for the Veteran's left ankle and left knee conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Ankle Condition, Left Knee Condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 15, 2026
- Citation
- A26035155
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 A26035155.
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 Board has granted service connection for bilateral knee conditions, finding that the Veteran's current knee conditions are more likely than not related to his military service.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's right and left knee conditions, finding that they are related to his active service.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for pre-existing left and right knee conditions, finding that these conditions were aggravated by military service.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's right knee, left knee, right ankle, and left ankle conditions as secondary to his service-connected left hip replacement.
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