The Board has remanded the case due to lack of substantial compliance with previous instructions and a need for a retrospective medical opinion regarding the Veteran's work capacity prior to July 28, 2016.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner failed to provide an independent assessment of the extent of the Veteran's impairment during the period prior to July 28, 2016.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral knee internal derangement, left knee traumatic arthritis with limited motion, total right knee replacement, bilateral ankle strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 24, 2021
- Citation
- 21031778
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 21031778.
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 obstructive sleep apnea is granted as secondary to his service-connected disabilities, with obesity serving as an intermediary step.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for right shoulder strain, bilateral ankle strain, acquired psychiatric disorder, bilateral plantar fasciitis, and back strain have been dismissed without prejudice due to the Veteran's request to withdraw these issues.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's appeal for further development due to notification deficiencies and procedural issues.
- Partly granted
The Board granted increased 20 percent ratings for limitation of motion of the left and right knees prior to their respective total knee replacements, but denied ratings in excess of 10 percent for instability of both knees and in excess of 30 percent for total knee replacements.
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