The Veteran's claim for an increased rating prior to the prosthetic replacement of her left knee is remanded due to a lack of information regarding whether her knee ever manifested in ankylosis.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner failed to provide an answer as to whether or not the Veteran’s left knee ever manifested in ankylosis prior to knee replacement surgery, which could affect entitlement to higher ratings under Diagnostic Code 5256.
- Claimed conditions
- left knee degenerative joint disease, patellofemoral pain syndrome, periarticular osteopenia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 3, 2020
- Citation
- 20076829
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 20076829.
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 due to the need for a VA examination to assess the severity of his left knee disability, including without considering the ameliorative effects of medication.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals were withdrawn, and his claims for increased ratings and service connection were dismissed. The Board found no evidence of ankylosis or other disabling conditions that would warrant higher ratings.
- Denied
The Veteran's left knee disability was not shown to be related to service or any service-connected conditions, and the Board denied his claim for service connection.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral knee disability, including arthritis, is service connected as it had its onset during his active service and there is no clear and unmistakable error in previous decisions. The appeal for service connection is granted.
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