The Veteran's claims for increased ratings of his left and right knee disabilities, as well as service connection for a heart disability and TDIU were denied. The Board found the evidence against granting higher ratings for the knees due to limited flexion not meeting the criteria for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent. Service connection for coronary artery disease with congestive heart failure was remanded. TDIU was also remanded.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's knee disabilities do not meet the criteria for a higher disability rating as his range of motion does not consistently limit flexion to less than 30 degrees, which is required for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent under Diagnostic Code 5260.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Knee Osteoarthritis with Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome, Right Knee Osteoarthritis with Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 6, 2021
- Citation
- 21027767
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 21027767.
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 right knee disability is granted a 10% rating from December 13, 2011 to June 1, 2022 for limitation of extension.,A 10% rating was granted for the Veteran's left knee disability from June 10, 2019 onward due to limitation of extension.,The Veteran's right knee and left knee disabilities are not entitled to higher ratings based on flexion or other criteria.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the issues of entitlement to increased ratings for right knee instability and osteoarthritis with patellofemoral pain syndrome from February 3, 2006 due to outstanding treatment records and an addendum opinion.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right and left knee disabilities have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for either condition.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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