The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected left knee disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining a retrospective medical opinion regarding the severity of his disability during his lifetime.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the previous VA examination opinions were inadequate and required another retrospective review of the Veteran's range of motion and functional loss due to pain and flare-ups.
- Claimed conditions
- left knee mild degenerative joint disease, status post total arthroplasty, left knee
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20079517
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 20079517.
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 total arthroplasty has resulted in functional impairment approximating chronic residuals consisting of severe painful motion or weakness since January 1, 2014.
- Denied
The Veteran's initial increased rating for left knee disability prior to February 2, 2016, is denied. A separate 20 percent evaluation for dislocated semilunar cartilage of the left knee prior to February 2, 2016, is granted. The Veteran's status post total left knee arthroplasty from April 1, 2017, warrants a 60 percent rating.
- Granted
The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral knee disabilities and residuals of left hand injury have been granted. The Board found that the current conditions are related to in-service injuries.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings on multiple conditions have been dismissed due to his request to withdraw all issues from appeal.
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