The Board has granted a 60 percent disability rating for both the right and left total knee replacements (TKRs) effective from November 1, 2017, and December 1, 2018, respectively. However, the appellant's claims for increased ratings prior to her TKR surgeries remain pending and require further development.
The deciding factor: The appellant has undergone bilateral total knee replacements (TKRs) which have resulted in a permanent disability rating of 60 percent bilaterally. The current appeal is focused on the post-TKR period, but the pre-TKR conditions are still under consideration for increased ratings.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Total Knee Replacement (TKR), Left Total Knee Replacement (TKR)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 9, 2024
- Citation
- 24001284
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 785 · Granted: 27% (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 24001284.
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 Board denied increased disability ratings for the right knee arthroplasty and right TKR, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for an increased rating in either case.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's right TKR is rated at 60 percent from August 1, 2018. The claim for a higher rating remains pending and will be remanded.
- 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 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.
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