The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected bilateral knee disabilities due to inadequate compliance with a previous remand directive. The Veteran should be afforded a new VA examination to address the nature and severity of his service-connected bilateral knee disabilities.
The deciding factor: The decision is based on the need for substantial compliance with prior remand directives, specifically regarding the provision of a retrospective opinion concerning the nature and severity of the Veteran's service-connected bilateral knee disabilities since 2007.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint Disease (left knee), Degenerative Joint Disease (right knee), Right Knee Disability with Instability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 20, 2020
- Citation
- 20012968
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 20012968.
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 determined that there are outstanding VA treatment records and private treatment records related to the Veteran's right knee disability. The claims for increased rating and TDIU need to be remanded to obtain these records.
- Granted
The Veteran's ratings for left and right knee degenerative joint disease have been granted, with separate 10% evaluations for instability. The effective date is not specified as the issue was not addressed in this decision.
- Denied
The Veteran's appeal for a rating in excess of 10 percent for right knee flexion and TDIU on an extraschedular basis has been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not show that his service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development to address the Veteran's knee disabilities, including their severity and any associated neurological manifestations. The Veteran will need a new VA examination to provide updated findings on his service-connected bilateral knee conditions.
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