The Board has remanded the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his bilateral knee disabilities and his claim for service connection for a neck disability secondary to the bilateral knee disabilities due to incomplete examination records, need for additional development of medical evidence, and VCAA compliance.
The deciding factor: Incomplete examination records and need for additional development of medical evidence are required before a determination can be made on the merits of the claims.
- Claimed conditions
- Internal derangement of the left knee, Post-operative residuals of a medial meniscectomy of the right knee with degenerative arthritis and limitation of motion
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 15, 2004
- Citation
- 0406686
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,669 · Granted: 23% (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 0406686.
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 service-connected acquired psychiatric disorders have rendered him so helpless as to be in need of regular aid and attendance, thus granting SMC based on aid and attendance.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities have not precluded him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation, thus denying his claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).
- Denied
The Veteran's left knee disability, including internal derangement with osteoarthritis and posttraumatic arthritis, was rated at 10 percent prior to February 15, 2021. Since August 1, 2021, the Veteran has been rated at 60 percent for chronic residuals of a left knee replacement surgery. The appeal is denied as there is no evidence supporting a higher rating.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for a TDIU was dismissed. The Board found that the left knee disability warranted a 30 percent rating prior to March 8, 2022.
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