The Board has determined that additional development is necessary for the Veteran's claims regarding his service-connected disabilities, specifically left knee and bilateral ankle conditions. The case is being remanded to obtain new VA examinations from an examiner with sufficient expertise.
The deciding factor: The previous VA examinations did not comply with the requirements of Correia v. McDonald (2016) and Sharp v. Shulkin (2017), which require joint testing for pain on both active and passive motion, in weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing, and an assessment of functional loss during flares.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative joint disease, right ankle, Degenerative arthritis, left ankle, Left total knee replacement
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 29, 2020
- Citation
- 20030197
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 20030197.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied increased ratings for the service-connected left total knee replacement, right knee degenerative arthritis, and right knee instability.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a maximum rating of 60 percent for the Veteran's left total knee replacement from January 1, 2019, and a 70 percent rating for his acquired psychiatric disorder starting from January 17, 2018.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 40 percent rating for L4-L5 space narrowing degenerative arthritis prior to January 14, 2025, and denied higher ratings for the other conditions.
- Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for the veteran's left shoulder and knee conditions, but granted a 60 percent rating for his right total knee replacement. The Board also denied entitlement to TDIU.
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