The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional medical evidence and VA examinations to determine the current severity of his service-connected left knee disability, including a scar. The TDIU claim will be further developed in conjunction with an examination to assess the impact of these disabilities on employment.
The deciding factor: The Veteran failed to report for necessary VA examinations due to health issues, which constitutes good cause for missing the appointments.
- Claimed conditions
- left knee osteoarthritis with chondromalacia patella, left knee scar, shrapnel residual
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 16, 2023
- Citation
- 23015907
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 23015907.
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 and TDIU were denied as his left knee disability did not meet the criteria for a higher rating, and he was found to be capable of maintaining substantially gainful employment.
- Granted
The Board has granted earlier effective dates of May 11, 2013 for the awards of service connection for various conditions including PTSD and major depressive disorder with TBI residuals, migraine headaches, left knee osteoarthritis with chondromalacia patella, right knee osteoarthritis with chondromalacia patella, thoracolumbar spine degenerative disc disease, tinnitus, and scars of the bilateral knees, left calf (other impairment).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to the Veteran's failure to report for scheduled VA examinations. The AOJ should provide another opportunity for the Veteran to attend the needed examinations and conduct additional development in conjunction with the TDIU claim.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected left knee osteoarthritis with chondromalacia patella and right knee osteoarthritis with partial patellar tendon tear were evaluated at 10 percent each since April 1, 2009. The Veteran's left knee lateral subluxation was also granted a 10 percent evaluation from March 1, 2008.
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