The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's right knee disability is caused by or aggravated by his service-connected left knee disability.
The deciding factor: The examiner failed to provide a sufficient rationale for their conclusion that the right knee disability is not related to the service-connected left knee disability, and an addendum opinion is necessary to address this issue on secondary service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD) of the right knee, Degenerative arthritis of the left knee with complex medial meniscus bucket handle type tear
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19161165
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 19161165.
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.
- 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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's lumbar spine, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right knee disabilities but granted a 20 percent rating for right lower extremity radiculopathy.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for right knee flexion and extension disabilities, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating at any point during the relevant period.
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