The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical examination and failure to provide adequate reasons and bases for the rating assigned. The Veteran's left knee disabilities are being reviewed again, with a focus on functional loss during flare-ups and whether his posttraumatic tricompartmental degenerative joint disease warrants a separate rating under Diagnostic Code 5262.
The deciding factor: The remand is due to the inadequate medical examination and failure to provide adequate reasons and bases for the rating assigned, specifically regarding functional loss during flare-ups and the appropriateness of a separate rating under Diagnostic Code 5262.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Knee Disabilities, Posttraumatic Tricompartmental Degenerative Joint Disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 20, 2018
- Citation
- 18127670
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 18127670.
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 left knee disabilities prevented him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment prior to September 18, 2013. The Board granted a TDIU on an extraschedular basis for this period.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining an opinion on whether the Veteran's right hip disability is aggravated by his service-connected left knee disabilities and for adjudicating the TDIU claim in conjunction with the right hip disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for right hip disability and right and left knee disabilities due to insufficient evidence in the record. The Veteran will need a new VA examination to determine if his current hip and knee conditions are related to his military service.
- Denied
The Veteran's left knee disability is currently rated as 20 percent disabling under Diagnostic Codes 5010-5261, which includes a separate rating for posttraumatic tricompartmental degenerative joint disease with malunion of the medial tibial plateau (shown with loss of extension) and another for severe posttraumatic tricompartmental degenerative joint disease with malunion of the medial tibial plateau. The Veteran's left knee disability does not meet or approximate criteria for a higher rating under any applicable diagnostic codes.
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