The Board has decided the increased rating claim for left ankle sprain status-post Watson-Jones reconstruction, but has remanded the service connection claim for right knee status post meniscus tear with degenerative arthritis as secondary to the service-connected left ankle.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not provide an opinion regarding whether the Veteran's right knee disability is at least as likely caused by his service-connected left ankle disability or aggravated beyond its natural progression by his service-connected left ankle disability.
- Claimed conditions
- left ankle sprain status-post Watson-Jones reconstruction, right knee status post meniscus tear with degenerative arthritis
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 5, 2019
- Citation
- 19183410
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,828 · Granted: 32% (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 19183410.
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 has ordered a remand due to the lack of compliance with previous remand instructions regarding an addendum opinion for service connection for right knee status post meniscus tear with degenerative arthritis, as secondary to the service-connected left ankle disability.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Granted
The Veteran's major depressive disorder is found to be caused by his service-connected low back and radiculopathy disabilities, which prevent him from doing enjoyable activities and daily living tasks.
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