The Board has decided to remand the case due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error, specifically regarding the adequacy of the VA medical examination and opinion provided for the service-connected left knee disability. The Veteran's claim will be returned to the AOJ for correction.
The deciding factor: The July 2019 VA examiner did not adequately explain why the Veteran’s left knee arthritis and total knee arthroplasty are separate from his service-connected chronic left knee strain with early disuse osteoporosis.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic strain of the left knee, early disuse osteoporosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 27, 2020
- Citation
- A20009370
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation A20009370.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection of residuals of a right ankle fracture has been reopened, and the Board has remanded it. The claims for higher initial disability ratings for spur formation of the lumbar spine, left knee injury, and degenerative joint disease of the right knee are also remanded.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities is being remanded for additional development, including an addendum opinion and/or examination regarding the impact of her low back and bilateral knee disabilities on her employability.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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