The veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for further examination and consideration of his service-connected lumbosacral strain with traumatic arthritis and cervical sprain with traumatic arthritis under both old and new rating criteria.
The deciding factor: The case was remanded due to changes in VA regulations regarding the rating of spine disabilities, necessitating a review under both old and new criteria.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbosacral strain with traumatic arthritis, cervical sprain with traumatic arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 22, 2004
- Citation
- 0402171
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,699 · Granted: 17% (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 0402171.
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 Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him in need of the regular aid and attendance of another person, warranting entitlement to SMC based on aid and attendance.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including lumbosacral strain with traumatic arthritis and degenerative joint disease of the right hip, have prevented him from securing and following substantially gainful employment since December 19, 2005.
- Granted
The Veteran meets the schedular requirements for TDIU from February 9, 2004; his service-connected disabilities rendered him unemployable.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings, TDIU, and special monthly compensation are being remanded due to the need for additional development. The case will be further adjudicated after the completion of the requested actions.
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