The Board has determined that a new VA examination is needed to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's left knee disorder, as the previous opinions are inadequate. The examiner should consider the Veteran’s report of overcompensation due to his service-connected right knee and lumbar spine disabilities.
The deciding factor: The previous VA examiners did not adequately address the issue of overcompensation in the context of a gait deficit, muscle weakness, and use of assistive devices like braces and walker.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint Disease (left knee)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- November 9, 2018
- Citation
- 18149516
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 18149516.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's ratings for left and right knee degenerative joint disease have been granted, with separate 10% evaluations for instability. The effective date is not specified as the issue was not addressed in this decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development to address the Veteran's knee disabilities, including their severity and any associated neurological manifestations. The Veteran will need a new VA examination to provide updated findings on his service-connected bilateral knee conditions.
- Denied
The Veteran's right knee disability is currently rated as 10 percent for limitation of motion, and instability. A separate rating for symptomatic removal of the semilunar cartilage has been granted.,The Veteran's left knee disability was previously rated based on limitation of motion, but a separate rating for symptomatic removal of the semilunar cartilage is now in effect.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his left knee disability was denied. He is currently rated at 10 percent for limitation of flexion, with separate ratings for slight instability and symptomatic removal of semilunar cartilage.
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