The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional VA treatment records.
The deciding factor: There are outstanding VA treatment records that may be pertinent to the Veteran’s claims on appeal, and efforts must be made to obtain a complete copy of any VA treatment records from the San Juan, Puerto Rico VAMC dated after August 15, 2019.
- Claimed conditions
- right knee degenerative joint disease (right knee disability), left knee degenerative changes and patellofemoral pain syndrome with associated borderline patella alta (left knee disability)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 24, 2020
- Citation
- 20075183
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 20075183.
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 granted restoration of the 40 percent rating for right lower extremity radiculopathy, sciatic nerve (RLE sciatic nerve radiculopathy) effective November 3, 2023. The issues of entitlement to service connection for right knee disability and right hip condition were dismissed due to a claims processing rules defect.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for his low back disability, right knee disability, and sinusitis as he withdrew these claims through his authorized representative.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, increased ratings for lumbar spine disability and bilateral knee disabilities due to difficulties in contacting the Veteran.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including chronic sinusitis, psychiatric disability, low back disability, right knee disability, and tinnitus, do not render him incapable of securing or following substantially gainful employment prior to July 3, 2017. The Board found that the evidence does not support an exceptional situation preventing gainful employment due to his service-connected conditions.
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