The case is being remanded for additional development to address the severity and manifestations of the Veteran's right knee and right ankle traumatic arthritis, including any additional functional impairment during flare-ups and after repeated use over time. The examiner will also determine if these disabilities played a role in the Veteran's fall risk problems.
The deciding factor: Additional development is required due to inadequate rationale provided by the November 2016 VA examination regarding functional loss during flare-ups and after repeated use over time, as well as the impact of the right knee and right ankle traumatic arthritis on the Veteran's fall risk problems.
- Claimed conditions
- Traumatic arthritis of the right knee, Traumatic arthritis of the right ankle
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 9, 2021
- Citation
- 21041392
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 21041392.
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.
- Partly granted
The Veteran was granted ratings for his left and right knee disabilities, as well as special monthly compensation and TDIU.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and service connection were dismissed. The Board found that the Veteran withdrew his appeal of the issues related to traumatic arthritis of the right knee and post-operative ligament injury of the right knee at a hearing before the undersigned Veterans Law Judge. New and material evidence was received to reopen claims of bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and left knee disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions and non-compliance with previous remand directives. The claim is being returned for further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the cases for further examination and opinion regarding the Veteran's right ankle arthritis and any right calf disability. The cases will be reviewed again with a focus on assessing the current severity of these conditions and determining if they are related to service.
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