The Veteran's service connection claim for a right knee disability (degenerative joint disease and total arthroplasty replacement) is remanded due to the need for an additional medical opinion regarding the etiology of his condition.
The deciding factor: The July 2018 VA medical opinion was inadequate for adjudication purposes as it did not address whether the Veteran's DJD and total arthroplasty are proximately due or the result of his service-connected general post-operative arthrotomy of the right knee, or if they are aggravated by this condition.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative joint disease, total arthroplasty replacement
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 10, 2022
- Citation
- 22007659
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 22007659.
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 claim for an evaluation in excess of 40 percent for his lumbar spine disability has been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating, as there was no unfavorable ankylosis or incapacitating episodes of IVDS.
- Denied
The Board denied an increased rating for the Veteran's lumbar spine disability, finding that there was no evidence of unfavorable ankylosis and thus not warranting a higher rating.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for an extension of a temporary total evaluation based on the need for convalescence due to his service-connected left great toe hallux valgus and degenerative joint disease has been dismissed because this issue was already decided by the Board in January 2026.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to an error in providing notice of a pre-decisional hearing, and the Veteran is entitled to such a hearing before the AOJ.
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