The Board has remanded the case due to updated rating criteria for knee disabilities and unclear information regarding prescribed assistive devices.
The deciding factor: The updated rating criteria require clarification on whether the Veteran's right knee condition represents a failed repair of a complete ligament tear, as well as whether he has been prescribed a cane or brace.
- Claimed conditions
- Right knee dislocated semilunar cartilage, Right knee degenerative arthritis, Right knee recurrent subluxation, Right knee lateral instability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 2, 2021
- Citation
- 21039971
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 21039971.
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 Board has granted service connection for degenerative arthritis of the spine, right knee degenerative arthritis, left knee degenerative arthritis, right ankle degenerative arthritis, and left ankle degenerative arthritis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee and right knee degenerative arthritis, as well as his claim for a higher rating for his acquired psychiatric disorder. The appeal is not about service connection at all.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for right knee degenerative arthritis based on limitation of motion was denied. A separate 20 percent rating for a right knee meniscus tear is granted. The claims for service connection for left hip condition and right foot gout are dismissed.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not result in the ability to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation prior to July 5, 2021.
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