The Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability and left knee disability have been reopened. The Board finds that the evidence supports service connection on a secondary basis due to his right knee disability. However, the claim for service connection for a left knee disability is REMANDED as there is insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's left knee disability was aggravated by his right knee disability.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not address whether the Veteran's left knee could be aggravated by his right knee disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Arthritis and degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, Left knee degenerative joint disease
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 27, 2021
- Citation
- 21076696
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 21076696.
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 Veteran's claims for increased ratings for left and right knee disabilities were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a rating in excess of 10 percent for left knee degenerative joint disease.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation prior to April 6, 2022. Therefore, the claim for TDIU prior to that date is denied.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's service-connected degenerative arthritis and IVDS of the lumbar spine is granted a 40 percent rating, while other claims for increased ratings are denied or remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for further development and readjudication due to non-compliance with previous remand instructions.
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