The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for left knee patellofemoral syndrome and chondromalacia patella of the right knee due to inadequate VA examination reports, specifically regarding estimates of functional loss during flare-ups.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners did not provide sufficient information regarding flares and were unable to estimate the Veteran's functional loss based on all available evidence, including his own statements.
- Claimed conditions
- left knee patellofemoral syndrome, chondromalacia patella
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 20, 2021
- Citation
- 21075429
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 21075429.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a left knee disability, finding that it is not proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected back and sciatica disabilities. The evidence did not support a nexus between the Veteran's current condition and his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment, leading to a TDIU rating.
- Granted
The Veteran's hypertension, left knee patellofemoral syndrome, and right knee patellofemoral syndrome have been granted service connection as secondary to his service-connected disabilities. The lumbar spine disability has also been granted but the effective date is not specified.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for chondromalacia patella, patellofemoral pain syndrome right is remanded due to a duty-to-assist error in the evaluation of his service-connected knee disability.
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