The Veteran's initial disability rating for a headache disorder has been granted at 50 percent. The Board has also remanded the issues of service connection for left and right knee chondromalacia.
The deciding factor: The VA examination did not address the Veteran’s contentions regarding his bilateral knee disabilities, specifically that they were caused or aggravated by active service.
- Claimed conditions
- Headache Disorder, Left Knee Chondromalacia, Right Knee Chondromalacia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 24, 2020
- Citation
- 20006209
Veterans Law Judge
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 20006209.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's right knee instability rating is restored to 20 percent effective November 1, 2019. The initial disability rating for right knee instability remains denied and the increased disability rating for right knee chondromalacia is granted.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Headache Disorder due to lack of in-service diagnosis or treatment, and the absence of a causal relationship between these conditions and service. The claim for Headache Disorder is remanded for further evaluation.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right and left knee conditions have been denied. The current evaluations for the right knee under DC 5260 are 10 percent, while those for the left knee under DCs 5260 and 5261 are noncompensable.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected right knee disability is not productive of actual or functional flexion limited to 30 degrees, extension limited to 10 degrees, ankylosis, recurrent subluxation or lateral instability, patellar instability, dislocated semilunar cartilage, symptomatic removal of semilunar cartilage, impairment of the tibia and fibula, medial tibial stress syndrome or shin splints, or genu recurvatum. Therefore, a rating in excess of 10 percent for right knee chondromalacia, to include right knee meniscal tear, residuals of meniscectomy, and residuals of right knee arthroplasty is denied.
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