The Veteran's appeal involves multiple issues related to his service-connected disabilities, including initial ratings for degenerative disc disease at L5-S1 and left total knee replacement, as well as effective date claims. The case is being remanded for further development and consideration.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that the earlier effective date claim for TDIU requires referral to VA Compensation & Pension Service for extraschedular consideration due to the Veteran's long-standing appeal and the need to determine if he meets the criteria for a TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities alone.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease at L5-S1, Left total knee replacement
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- July 21, 2016
- Citation
- 1629209
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1629209.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied increased ratings for the service-connected left total knee replacement, right knee degenerative arthritis, and right knee instability.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a maximum rating of 60 percent for the Veteran's left total knee replacement from January 1, 2019, and a 70 percent rating for his acquired psychiatric disorder starting from January 17, 2018.
- Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for the veteran's left shoulder and knee conditions, but granted a 60 percent rating for his right total knee replacement. The Board also denied entitlement to TDIU.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issues of entitlement to increased ratings for bilateral knee disabilities, including instability, and a TDIU due to an inadequate examination.
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