The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected bilateral knee disabilities and instability due to insufficient information provided by VA examiners regarding functional loss or limitation of range-of-motion. The Veteran will need a new examination to determine the current severity of his service-connected bilateral knee disabilities, including frequency, severity, and functional impairment associated with the disabilities in sufficient detail to allow for application of the pertinent rating criteria.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners' explanations are insufficient due to their failure to provide measurements describing the degree of additional range-of-motion loss due to pain and weakness without resorting to speculation.
- Claimed conditions
- left knee disability, right knee disability, instability of the left knee, instability of the right knee
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 21, 2020
- Citation
- 20061985
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 20061985.
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 Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess his bilateral knee and hip disabilities.
- Partly granted
The Board has not made a final determination on the claims of service connection for inguinal hernia, PTSD, joint pain, fibromyalgia, left knee disability, right knee disability, tinnitus, chronic fatigue syndrome, respiratory disability, sleep disorder, IBS, and headaches. The claims are remanded to obtain additional evidence and determine if these conditions are related to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient rationale in the July 2012 VA examination for the Veteran's left knee disability, and a new addendum opinion is needed.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for shin splints, right knee disability, acquired psychiatric disorder (depression), stomach disability, and left ear hearing loss due to errors in providing notice of the right to a hearing.
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