The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to inadequate examination and medical opinion regarding his left knee disabilities. The issues include initial ratings for left knee strain with degenerative arthritis, separate disability rating for left knee instability prior to August 6, 2019, and initial ratings in excess of 10 percent from August 6, 2019, to February 6, 2021, and since February 7, 2021, for left knee instability.
The deciding factor: The examination did not provide the requested measurements and a retrospective opinion, which is necessary to determine the current severity of the Veteran's disabilities and whether there is functional ankylosis.
- Claimed conditions
- left knee strain, degenerative arthritis, left knee instability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 11, 2023
- Citation
- 23001849
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 3,038 · Granted: 30% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 23001849.
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
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