The Board has decided to remand three issues related to the Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities, including right knee instability and left knee postoperative degenerative symptoms. The remand is due to insufficient evidence in the record regarding the severity of these conditions.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations did not comply with the requirements set forth in Sharp v. Shulkin (2017) and additional clarifications are needed from the Veteran's wife regarding activities of daily living and any knee weakness or falls related to his disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- osteoarthritis of the right knee, instability of the right knee prior to October 31, 2016, postoperative degenerative symptoms of the meniscus of the left knee
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 16, 2019
- Citation
- 19154847
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 19154847.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the rating reductions for lateral instability of the right knee and osteoarthritis of the right knee, so these issues are dismissed.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's claims, including service connection for various conditions and a higher disability rating for chronic scalp folliculitis. The AOJ is instructed to obtain additional medical records and conduct further examinations as needed.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for osteoarthritis of the right knee, finding that it is at least as likely as not related to the Veteran's military service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for sleep apnea, osteoarthritis of the left knee, and osteoarthritis of the right knee as there was no credible evidence to support an in-service incurrence or aggravation of any of these conditions.
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