The Board remands the Veteran's claims for increased ratings of his bilateral knee conditions due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error, as the Veteran was unable to attend scheduled examinations during the evidentiary window on appeal and relevant medical records were not obtained.
The deciding factor: The Board finds good cause has been found as to the Veteran's inability to attend the schedule examinations during the period on appeal due to his knee surgery, and there is a pre-decisional duty to assist error in failing to obtain all known and relevant medical records.
- Claimed conditions
- right knee strain limitation of flexion, residuals of right knee replacement, right knee strain limitation of extension, left knee strain limitation of extension, left knee strain limitation of flexion
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 20, 2025
- Citation
- A25026106
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 an increased rating for the Veteran's left knee strain, limitation of extension, as the evidence did not support a higher disability rating.
- Granted
The Board granted earlier effective dates for the grant of service connection and increased rating for various disabilities, all starting from January 1, 2023.
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