The Board has decided that the Veteran's left knee scars warrant an increased rating of 20 percent, but denied his claim for a higher disability rating for his chondromalacia, left knee status post meniscectomy with instability (left knee disability) for the period from April 1, 2014, through April 27, 2016. The case is being remanded to allow further development and consideration of these issues.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was at least equipoise evidence showing that the Veteran had three painful scars related to his service-connected left knee disabilities, which entitles him to an increased rating of 20 percent for his left knee scars. However, the VA examinations were deemed inadequate and remanded for further development regarding the chondromalacia disability.
- Claimed conditions
- left knee scars, chondromalacia, left knee status post meniscectomy with instability (left knee disability)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 7, 2021
- Citation
- 21027887
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 21027887.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for left and right knee scars have been dismissed due to the Veteran's withdrawal of his appeal.
- Denied
The Board denied an initial compensable rating for left knee scars, finding that the evidence did not support a higher evaluation as the combined area of the Veteran's scars was less than the required threshold for a 10% rating.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure or follow any form of substantially gainful employment prior to March 26, 2020. The effective date for the grant of TDIU is set at December 11, 2019.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's requests for earlier effective dates for service connection of his left knee strain and scars, finding that the earliest possible effective date was May 29, 2020, based on when he submitted a request to reopen his previously denied claims.
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