The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for his left knee and right knee disabilities is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.,Specifically, a new VA examination is required to assess the severity of the Veteran's service-connected right and left knee disabilities, as well as instability of the right knee prior to December 21, 2015.
The deciding factor: The decision requires additional development due to the need for updated medical evidence regarding the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected right and left knee disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Scars of the left knee, Limitation of motion of the left knee prior to April 14, 2014, Instability of the right knee prior to December 21, 2015
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 13, 2021
- Citation
- 21002394
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 21002394.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for eligibility for specially adapted housing or a special home adaptation grant due to lack of permanent and total disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and need for additional examination.
- Granted
The Veteran's traumatic brain injury and obstructive sleep apnea are found to be service-connected. The PTSD is assigned a 50% disability rating, the left knee and right knee conditions are each rated at 10%, the shoulder strains are not service-connected, the wrist condition does not meet criteria for a higher rating, the spine strain is rated at 10%, the ankle strains do not warrant a higher rating, the hiatal hernia with GERD is rated at 10%, and the headaches are assigned a 30% disability rating. The Veteran's hypertension, DVT, restless leg syndrome, IBS, erectile dysfunction, and hypertensive cardiovascular disease are each rated at 10%.
- Denied
VA determined that the Veteran's scars do not meet the criteria for a compensable disability evaluation, as they are not tender or painful and do not cause limitation of function.,VA also found that the Veteran's traumatic arthritic residuals of a fractured left hip do not warrant an increased rating beyond 10 percent.
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