The Board has determined that additional development is required for the Veteran's claims of entitlement to increased ratings for his bilateral knee disabilities. The claims are being remanded for a new VA examination.
The deciding factor: The August 2020 VA examination was inadequate under Sharp v. Shulkin, as it did not adequately address the severity and frequency of flare-ups during which the Veteran experiences pain and functional loss in his knees.
- Claimed conditions
- patellofemoral syndrome of the right knee, patellofemoral syndrome of the left knee
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 22, 2020
- Citation
- 20068407
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 knee conditions, except for a 10% rating for left and right knee instability effective from October 1, 2008.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a separate disability rating of 20 percent for the Veteran's service-connected patellofemoral syndrome of the left knee with limitation of extension from October 1, 2008 to August 11, 2017, but denied an initial rating in excess of 10 percent during that same period.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected right knee disability, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating under any applicable diagnostic codes.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an addendum medical opinion addressing the ameliorative effects of medication on the Veteran's range of motion during a specific period.
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