The Veteran's claim for a higher disability rating for his service-connected left knee replacement is being remanded due to the need for further development, including an examination of the current severity and functional impact of his condition.
The deciding factor: Further development is required as the VA examiner could not provide a definitive opinion on the additional range of motion loss during flare-ups or after repetitive use without resorting to speculation.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Knee
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 20, 2020
- Citation
- A20015810
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 is entitled to an earlier effective date of February 29, 2000, for an award of TDIU on an extraschedular basis due to his service-connected back and left knee disabilities.
- Partly granted
The Board granted clothing allowances for a back brace and wheelchair, but denied them for a neck brace, bilateral knee braces, pain medication therapy, cane, and walker.
- Granted
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection have been granted, but the criteria for higher disability ratings are not met at any point during this appeal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for right and left knee disabilities due to insufficient evidence, including a lack of recent VA treatment records and an inadequate examination following his total knee arthroplasty. The claims will be readjudicated after these issues are addressed.
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