The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral knee disorders. A new VA examination is needed to determine if these conditions are related to service.
The deciding factor: The previous medical opinions were legally insufficient and did not consider the Veteran’s assertions about his knee pain onset in service and his current employment status.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral knee arthralgia, bilateral chondromalacia patella, bilateral patellar tendonitis, medial collateral ligament strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 27, 2020
- Citation
- 20056625
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 20056625.
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 remanded the case for further development due to inadequate examinations and failure to address retrospective findings of left knee disability over the claim period. The Veteran should be scheduled for another examination by an examiner other than those who conducted previous exams.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted a TDIU effective February 16, 2018, due to her service-connected disabilities preventing her from securing and following substantially gainful employment.
- Denied
The Veteran's appeal for higher ratings for his left knee disability was denied. The RO granted a 20 percent rating for limitation of flexion from September 18, 2015 to April 10, 2019 and a 40 percent rating for limitation of extension starting April 11, 2019.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for bilateral knee and ankle arthralgia, finding that the evidence is at least evenly balanced as to whether these conditions are related to active duty service.
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