The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to conflicting opinions regarding the severity of her left TKR and its relationship with her IBM. The Board requests a medical opinion to differentiate between the residuals of the TKR and the impact of IBM on her left leg.
The deciding factor: The decision is based on conflicting evidence regarding the severity of the Veteran's left knee replacement and whether her IBM has an independent effect on her symptoms.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Total Knee Replacement (TKR)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 26, 2022
- Citation
- 22017754
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 22017754.
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 Veteran's left TKR disability is rated at 60 percent from February 10, 2014 to the present. Higher ratings are denied for the period prior to that date.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's right knee arthritis is caused or aggravated by his service-connected left TKR disability. The current appeal period will remain unchanged.
- Denied
The Veteran's left knee replacement and postoperative DJD are currently rated at 60 percent, effective March 1, 2019. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for a higher disability rating for residuals of left TKR is denied. The Board finds that the evidence does not show severe painful motion or weakness in the left knee, which would warrant a higher rating under DCs 5055, 5256, 5261, and 5262.
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