The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral knee scars, left and right total knee replacements, as well as SMC based on housebound status from January 1, 2016. The claims are being remanded due to the need for VA examinations.
The deciding factor: The claims were previously remanded in May 2018 for further development, including VA examinations. However, the Veteran failed to attend scheduled examinations and provided conflicting information about his availability. As a result, new VA examinations are necessary to evaluate the nature and etiology of the Veteran's knee disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral knee scars, status post left total knee replacement, status post right total knee replacement
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 21, 2020
- Citation
- 20067974
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for the veteran's right and left knee disorders, but granted a 10 percent rating for painful left anterior knee scars.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for sleep apnea and bilateral hip arthritis, but denied service connection for bilateral shoulder arthritis. The decision also denied increased ratings for knee disabilities and a compensable rating for PFB.
- Granted
The Board granted earlier effective dates for the award of service connection for bilateral knee disabilities and scars, as well as DEA benefits based on permanent and total disability status.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's left ear hearing loss is rated at 0 percent, as the VA examination results do not warrant a compensable rating.,The Veteran's right knee patellofemoral syndrome with patellar tendinitis prior to July 4, 2019 and status post right total knee replacement from July 5, 2019 are both rated at 30 percent. The Veteran is seeking higher ratings for these conditions.,The Veteran's left knee patellofemoral syndrome with patellar tendinitis is rated at 10 percent. The Veteran is seeking a higher rating for this condition.,The Veteran is seeking TDIU prior to December 21, 2016.
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