The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his left knee and left ankle disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional VA examinations.
The deciding factor: The previous VA examination reports were not compliant with the requirements set forth in Correia v. McDonald, which mandates that joint testing include range of motion studies under both active and passive motion conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome (left knee disability), left ankle sprain with degenerative joint disease (left ankle disability)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 22, 2019
- Citation
- 19179903
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 earlier effective dates for the awards of service connection for various disabilities, including PTSD with other specified depressive disorder and multiple wrist and finger pain conditions.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for coronary artery disease and irregular heartbeat, granted a 40 percent initial rating for low back disability, and denied an increased rating for left knee disability. The Board also granted a 20 percent initial rating for bilateral dry eye syndrome.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of October 17, 2017 for the award of service connection for left elbow limitation of flexion and left cubital tunnel syndrome (CTS), but denied earlier effective dates for other conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's lumbar spine, right knee, and left knee disabilities.
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