The Board has granted the petition to readjudicate the claim of entitlement to service connection for right knee degenerative joint disease and remanded both the right and left knee issues due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The claims are now pending for further development.
The deciding factor: The decision is based on a pre-decisional duty to assist error, which requires additional evidence and examination to determine the nature and etiology of the diagnosed conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- right knee degenerative joint disease, status post total knee arthroplasty, left knee degenerative joint disease, status post total knee arthroplasty
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 6, 2026
- Citation
- A26020530
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 A26020530.
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 Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his right knee disability, including instability and flare-ups.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted a separate rating for the left knee surgical scar and reopened the right knee disability claim. The case is remanded to obtain an addendum opinion regarding the lumbar spine disability.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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