The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a higher rating for left knee disability and TDIU prior to January 18, 2019 due to incomplete medical opinions regarding the presence of a meniscal tear in the left knee and lateral instability.
The deciding factor: Incomplete medical opinions are needed to clarify whether the Veteran has had a meniscal tear in her left knee and if she has experienced lateral instability related to her service-connected left knee disability.
- Claimed conditions
- left knee chondromalacia with osteoarthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 2, 2020
- Citation
- 20022891
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 20022891.
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 service-connected disabilities result in the loss of use of both lower extremities, necessitating the use of assistive devices such as braces, crutches, canes, rollators, and walkers. The Board has granted eligibility for financial assistance in acquiring specially adapted housing due to this condition.
- Denied
The Board denied earlier effective dates for increased ratings and separate evaluations for the Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities, finding that the evidence did not establish entitlement to increased ratings prior to March 21, 2024.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a separate 10 percent rating for recurrent instability of the left knee from April 3, 2022, but denied an increased rating in excess of 10 percent for left knee chondromalacia with osteoarthritis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for further action, including service connection for a ruptured left quadriceps tendon. The initial ratings for left and right knee chondromalacia with osteoarthritis remain denied as they do not meet the criteria for increased ratings under applicable diagnostic codes.
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