The Board has decided that an effective date of August 20, 2003, but not earlier, is granted for the award of service connection for right knee scars. The issues of entitlement to higher ratings for lumbosacral strain and left knee strain are remanded.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's reopened claim for service connection for a right knee disability was received on May 12, 2003, but the issue of separate ratings for surgical scars arose only after the Veteran underwent surgery on August 20, 2003. The Board found that an effective date of August 20, 2003, is warranted.
- Claimed conditions
- Right knee disability, Lumbosacral strain, Left knee strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 22, 2019
- Citation
- 19165338
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 19165338.
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 remands the Veteran's claims for additional VA examinations to properly evaluate the current severity of her disabilities.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for chronic headaches, CFS, dermatosis, bilateral RLS, a lumbar spine disability, and sleep apnea but denied a compensable evaluation for allergic rhinitis.
- Partly granted
The Board denied the claims for an initial compensable rating for left ear sensorineural hearing loss, service connection for a right ear hearing loss disability, and a left eye disorder. However, it granted service connection for a back disability and radiculopathy of both lower extremities as secondary to the back disability.
- Dismissed
The appeal is dismissed due to res judicata, as the issues were previously adjudicated and are now barred from further review.
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