The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for his service-connected lumbosacral spine disability was denied. The Board also remanded the issue of whether his right knee condition is secondary to his left knee disability, which requires further examination and opinion.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher than 20 percent rating for the Veteran's service-connected lumbosacral spine disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD) and Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD) of the lumbosacral spine, Meniscal tear of the left knee
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 24, 2020
- Citation
- 20075058
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,350 · Granted: 26% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 20075058.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's left knee disability, including osteoarthritis and internal derangement, is currently rated at 10 percent. The separate ratings for meniscal tear (20%) and moderate instability (20%) are granted effective September 23, 2013, and February 24, 2020 respectively.,The Veteran's left knee disability does not warrant a higher rating as the flexion limitation is at most 70 degrees, which does not meet the criteria for a 20 percent rating under DC 5260.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and a TDIU were denied. The left knee instability was granted, but the meniscal tear and limitation of motion claims remained denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's knee disabilities are being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected bilateral knee disabilities.,A decision on the TDIU claim is also being remanded due to its inextricably intertwined nature with the appeal period prior to December 27, 2017.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected right knee instability, patellofemoral syndrome of the left knee, and DJD of the right knee are all granted with specific ratings. Service connection for bilateral foot disabilities is also granted.
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