The Veteran's appeal is REMANDED for further development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and scheduling the Veteran for a VA examination to assess his bilateral knee disabilities. The RO must also consider the propriety of assigning a temporary total rating for convalescence under 38 C.F.R. § 4.30 and the applicability of Diagnostic Code 5055 in light of the Veteran's June 2017 total left knee replacement surgery.
The deciding factor: The appeal is REMANDED due to the need for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities. The RO must also consider whether a temporary total rating for convalescence under 38 C.F.R. § 4.30 and Diagnostic Code 5055 is applicable.
- Claimed conditions
- Arthritis of the left knee, Osteoarthritis of the right knee
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 1, 2018
- Citation
- 1806696
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 1806696.
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 claims for higher initial ratings for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, osteoarthritis of the right and left knees, and left ankle strain are remanded due to inadequate VA compensation examination reports.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, and bilateral tinnitus. The claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for bilateral plantar fasciitis was denied. Other claims were either granted or remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for additional development, including obtaining a new VA examination to address the inadequacies of previous examinations and obtain any relevant private treatment records.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a left knee disability and a right knee disability, finding that the Veteran's arthritis of both knees is not related to an injury or disease incurred in active service and has not been caused or aggravated by a service-connected disability.
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