The Board remands the case for an examination to determine the nature and etiology of any current psychiatric disorder, as well as to properly evaluate the current severity of the veteran's bilateral knee condition.
The deciding factor: An opinion from a private psychiatrist indicates that the veteran's medical condition has had an impact on his mental conditions, necessitating a secondary service connection examination. The veteran also argues that his most recent VA joints examination was inadequate for rating purposes.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the left knee, Degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the right knee, Acquired psychiatric disorder, claimed as secondary to DJD of the bilateral knees
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 5, 2009
- Citation
- 0900209
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,162 · Granted: 21% (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 0900209.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) and Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits prior to October 26, 2018, as they are inextricably intertwined with an extraschedular TDIU claim.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's left knee disability is currently rated at 30 percent, effective August 30, 2022. The claim for a higher rating remains pending and will be remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal for increased disability ratings and service connection is being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations.
- Denied
The Veteran's right knee meniscus tear with DJD resulted in painful limitation of motion, but did not meet the criteria for a higher rating based on flexion or extension limitations.
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