The Board has remanded the appeal due to the need for a new VA examination to evaluate the current level of severity of the Veteran's knee disabilities. The issues on appeal include evaluations for various knee conditions and scars.
The deciding factor: The decision is based on the need for additional medical evaluation to determine the extent of the Veteran's knee disabilities and associated functional loss.
- Claimed conditions
- Total Arthroplasty, Left Knee, Degenerative Arthritis associated with Total Arthroplasty, Right Knee, Patellofemoral Syndrome, Right Knee, Right Knee Meniscal Tear, Postoperative with Instability, Bilateral Knee Arthroplasty Scars, Left Knee Subluxation, Scar, Left Knee (Underlying Soft Tissue Damage) associated with Total Arthroplasty, Left Knee, Scar, Right Knee (Underlying Soft Tissue Damage) associated with Total Arthroplasty, Right Knee
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 9, 2021
- Citation
- 21021042
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 21021042.
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 was granted a 30 percent rating for left knee instability and a separate 20 percent rating for the left knee under Diagnostic Code 5258, as well as an award of TDIU.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings, finding that new and relevant evidence was not submitted to support these claims.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings of knee disabilities and dry eye syndrome, as well as the TDIU claim, are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations. The AOJ will consider any evidence not previously considered in this decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that additional development is needed in order to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claims, including obtaining outstanding treatment records and clarifying certain opinions from previous VA examinations.
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