The Board remanded four issues regarding the Veteran's right knee conditions and total disability rating for individual unemployability, vacating the prior July 2024 denial decision following a Veterans Court order. The remand was necessary to obtain medical opinions addressing the ameliorative effects of the Veteran's medications on his right knee disabilities, as required under recent case law.
The deciding factor: The Board found that prior VA examinations failed to adequately address the ameliorative effects of medications (Percocet, NSAIDs, muscle relaxers, corticosteroid injections) on the Veteran's right knee symptoms as required under Ingram v. Collins and Jones v. Shinseki for musculoskeletal disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- right knee chondromalacia with limitation of extension, lateral instability of the right knee, right knee disorder with limited flexion, recurrent subluxation of the right knee
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 12, 2025
- Citation
- 25013894
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issues for further development, including obtaining additional VA examinations and private treatment records.
- Partly granted
The Board denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for right knee limitation of flexion and a separate compensable rating for limitation of extension, but granted a 20 percent disability rating for lateral instability and a 10 percent disability rating for symptomatic removal of cartilage.
- Partly granted
The veteran's request for a higher rating for bilateral pes planus with plantar fasciitis and right leg strain was denied, but a separate 10 percent rating for recurrent subluxation of the right knee was granted.
- Partly granted
The veteran's claim for service connection for adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood as secondary to service-connected disabilities was granted. The veteran's claims for increased ratings for chondromalacia in both knees were denied, but separate ratings of 10 percent for recurrent subluxation of both knees were granted. Additionally, the veteran was granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).
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