The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and scheduling an orthopedic examination to assess his knee disabilities. The TDIU claim is also being referred to the Director of Compensation Service for extraschedular consideration.
The deciding factor: The decision was not about service connection but rather about the appropriate disability ratings and whether the Veteran's service-connected disabilities preclude him from participating in gainful employment.
- Claimed conditions
- chondromalacia of the left knee, left knee arthritis with chondromalacia and limited motion, meniscal tear, left knee, chondromalacia of the right knee, right knee arthritis with chondromalacia and limited motion
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 12, 2019
- Citation
- 19162221
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,500 · Granted: 29% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19162221.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for chondromalacia of the left knee, finding that there was no evidence of a chronic condition in service or within the presumptive period after service. The Board also noted that her medical discharge from service was due to pes planus and not any left knee condition.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have caused him to need regular aid and attendance, leading to a grant of SMC based on the need for aid and attendance. The issue of entitlement to SMC at the housebound rate is dismissed as moot.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected disabilities, finding that his combined schedular ratings did not meet the threshold requirement for consideration of TDIU. The case was remanded multiple times and ultimately denied again.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the lack of a VA examination and opinion regarding his claimed conditions. The Board finds that additional development is necessary to determine if there is a link between the Veteran's current disabilities and his active service.
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