The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate VA examinations and a need for new examination opinions regarding the etiology of each of the Veteran's diagnosed right knee disabilities, including a meniscal tear, instability, and arthritis. The examiner must opine whether it is at least as likely as not that these conditions were caused or aggravated by his service-connected left knee disability.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations conducted prior to the rating decision on appeal did not evaluate each of the Veteran's right knee disabilities separately from the others as to the possible relation to the Veteran's service connected left knee disability, and did not consider whether each of the Veteran's right knee disabilities were aggravated by his left knee condition.
- Claimed conditions
- Right knee meniscal tear, Right knee instability, Right knee degenerative arthritis
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 15, 2024
- Citation
- A24065845
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 828 · Granted: 42% (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 A24065845.
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 Board has granted service connection for degenerative arthritis of the spine, right knee degenerative arthritis, left knee degenerative arthritis, right ankle degenerative arthritis, and left ankle degenerative arthritis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee and right knee degenerative arthritis, as well as his claim for a higher rating for his acquired psychiatric disorder. The appeal is not about service connection at all.
- Denied
The Veteran's VR&E benefits were denied as she did not have an employment handicap and was found to be employable with her current skills, experience, and education. The appeal must be denied.
- Granted
The Board has granted an earlier effective date of March 21, 2011 for the service connection of right knee meniscal tear, with a rating of 20 percent.
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