The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for her service-connected right and left knee disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations.
The deciding factor: The VA examination was not thorough enough, as it did not assess passive motion or nonweight-bearing range of motion, which is required by court directives.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD) of the right knee, Right knee meniscal disability with locking pain and effusion, DJD of the left knee
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 25, 2018
- Citation
- 18137648
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 18137648.
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 has remanded the claims for service connection for various joint and back disabilities due to a lack of VA examinations, which were required by the Veterans Court. The Veteran's assertions include injuries from falls during service and wear and tear from his job as a bridge crewmember.
- Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for DJD and instability of both knees but granted separate 20 percent ratings for dislocated semilunar cartilage in the left and right knees.
- Denied
The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for his lumbosacral spine disability and TDIU prior to April 25, 2017 was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not show he was unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment due to service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for diabetes mellitus, right elbow condition, and right leg condition due to a lack of adequate medical opinions regarding the causal nexus between his service and these conditions. The increased rating claims for bilateral knee disabilities and right Achilles tendonitis are also being remanded.
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