The veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected osteoarthritis of the left knee associated with postoperative residuals of left knee patellectomy is being remanded due to potential pyramiding under different diagnostic codes.
The deciding factor: The RO utilized Diagnostic Codes 5257 and 5003 in conjunction, which may constitute pyramiding as Code 5257 has already been applied for postoperative residuals of left knee patellectomy.
- Claimed conditions
- osteoarthritis of the left knee, postoperative residuals of left knee patellectomy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- July 18, 2006
- Citation
- 0620845
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,464 · Granted: 14% (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 0620845.
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 claim for service connection for osteoarthritis of the left knee is granted. The claim for service connection for osteoarthritis of the left shoulder is remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and a TDIU are being remanded due to procedural errors in the development process. The VA is required to provide an examination to assess the severity of his service-connected left knee disorders, including any meniscal disability or patellar instability.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for gout, bilateral foot and osteoarthritis of the left knee. The conditions are found to be secondary to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for osteoarthritis of the left knee, finding that continuity of symptomatology existed since service and resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.
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