The Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a lateral meniscal tear of the left knee is reopened, and the case is remanded to obtain a new VA medical opinion regarding whether his pre-existing condition was aggravated by service.
The deciding factor: New evidence submitted includes a buddy statement indicating that the Veteran injured his left knee during service. The Board finds this material as it relates to the issue of aggravation during service.
- Claimed conditions
- lateral meniscal tear of the left knee
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 6, 2024
- Citation
- 24032674
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,820 · Granted: 26% (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 24032674.
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 service connection for sarcoidosis and found that an effective date of March 17, 2013 is warranted for the increased rating of 20% for a lateral meniscal tear of the left knee.
- Granted
The Veteran's appeal is granted, with a separate 20 percent rating for other impairment of the left knee due to meniscal tear. The primary issue regarding recurrent subluxation and lateral instability remains at 20 percent.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including scheduling a VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's left knee disability and obtaining all outstanding VA treatment records.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and providing proper notice regarding secondary service connection.
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