The Board has remanded the claims for rating higher than 10 percent for right and left knee disabilities due to lack of clarity in the September 2018 examination report regarding whether the Veteran was wearing braces during his evaluation. The Veteran is also requested to provide updated VA treatment records.
The deciding factor: The Board requires clarification on whether the Veteran was wearing braces during the September 2018 knee examinations, as this could affect the accuracy of the stability test results and the assessment of joint instability.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbosacral spine degenerative joint disease, right lower extremity radiculopathy, left lower extremity radiculopathy, right knee traumatic mild degenerative arthritis with loss of motion, left knee traumatic osteoarthritis with limitation of motion, right knee laxity of the medial collateral ligament (right knee instability), left knee laxity of the medial collateral ligament (left knee instability)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 19, 2020
- Citation
- 20020389
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 20020389.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals were dismissed due to the death of the appellant. The issues related to service connection for various conditions and disability ratings.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for left lower extremity radiculopathy and denied the claims for right knee disability, erectile dysfunction, GERD, sleep apnea, and hypertension. The decision is remanded for further action on these issues.
- Granted
The Board has granted earlier effective dates for the grant of service connection for middle and index trigger finger/stenosing tenosynovitis of the right hand, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy. The earliest effective date is June 30, 2012, for the right hand condition and April 22, 2016, for bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy.
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