The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right knee condition post total knee replacement due to a pre-decisional duty-to-assist error. The VA examiner is required to provide an opinion on whether the Veteran's right knee condition status post total knee replacement, including osteoarthritis, is at least as likely as not (probability of 50 percent or greater) the result of a disease or injury incurred in or aggravated by service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not discuss the reason for the total right knee replacement and whether the Veteran's physical training played a role in the development of his right knee osteoarthritis.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Knee Condition Post Total Knee Replacement, Right Knee Osteoarthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 22, 2021
- Citation
- A21020378
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 A21020378.
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 Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for his awards of ratings for right and left knee osteoarthritis based on limitation of extension. The evidence did not show a compensable limitation of extension prior to February 6, 2025.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for right and left knee disabilities, finding that the current conditions are not related to service due to lack of evidence of a chronic condition during service or post-service continuity.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal for higher ratings for his right knee disability is remanded due to the need for additional medical evidence and consideration of medication effects.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for right knee instability, limited range of motion (ROM), and scar are being remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.
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